During his short time in charge of Tottenham Hotspur, Jose Mourinho has been no stranger to controversy. That’s not surprising, given well, his entire career prior to taking the Spurs gig. One of the controversies that’s surrounded Mourinho pertains to midfielder Tanguy Ndombele, the club’s most expensive transfer signing ever.
Ndombele has been mostly a bust so far, as he’s been stricken by injuries. Mourinho has publicly called the player out on more than one occasion. This week Mourinho and Ndombele were caught meeting for a training session on Hadley Common in London, and their doing so is in strict defiance against British government regulations put in place during the covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Outdoor exercise is permitted, however, only if it’s by oneself or with other members of the immediate household. Social distancing measures are critical right now, but they will only work to help flatten the curve if the population adheres to them.
Mourinho has since apologized for his actions.
“I accept that my actions were not in line with government protocol and we must only have contact with members of our own household,” reads a statement attributed to Mourinho released via the club.
“It is vital we all play our part and follow government advice in order to support our heroes in the NHS and save lives.”
A Tottenham spokesperson added the following to Mourinho’s statement:
“All of our players have been reminded to respect social distancing when exercising outdoors. We shall continue to reinforce this message.”
At the end of the day, it’s all about action, not words, and Mourinho, unfortunately, is not the first Premier League figure to display some hypocrisy in this regard. Manchester City defender Kyle Walker invited sex workers to his house, just hours before releasing a PSA telling people to stay home.
Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish was caught breaking quarantine after he attended a late night party and got into a car accident.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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