Jose Mourinho has played down the possibility of gaining “revenge” against Tottenham should his Fenerbahce side face them in the Europa League final.
Former Spurs boss Mourinho is eyeing up his FIFTH piece of major European silverware with Fenerbahce in round of 16 action against Rangers on Thursday night.
Should Fenerbahce progress past the Scottish side, Mourinho could be set for a tour of his ex-employers with Roma their next opponents if they beat Athletic Bilbao.
Fenerbahce’s route to May’s final in Bilbao could see them face Manchester United in the semi-final and then Tottenham in the final on May 20/21 if those teams progress to that stage.
It would see Mourinho face three of his former clubs and give him the chance to gain “revenge” on them – but the 62-year-old doesn’t see it like that and believes he remembers the good times instead.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, Mourinho said:
“In my mind, I never feel about revenge. I never have that feeling because when I leave a club, I prefer to remember my good times at the club.”
Fenerbahce boss Mourinho has endured a difficult time of recent late after Galatasaray accused him of racism following a goalless draw between the two last month.
In his post-match press conference, the Portuguese said that the Galatasaray bench were “jumping around like monkeys” following an early tackle.
He also praised the decision to bring in Slovenian official Slavko Vincic to officiate the game and believes it would have been a disaster if the fixture was officiated by a Turkish referee.
Galatasaray said last Tuesday that they intend to take legal action against Mourinho. A statement read:
“Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people.
“Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.
We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.
“Furthermore, we shall diligently observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce – an institution professing to uphold ‘exemplary moral values’ – in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.”
