No Way Jose
11th December, 2007
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant England role. He had been consistently linked with the job since the sacking of Steve McClaren, the bookies’ favourite for the whole period.
The Portuguese tactician confirmed that he had held talks with the Football Association, but he has opted against a move into international management at this stage of his career. The FA denied on Friday that they had met with any potential candidates, but according to Mourinho's statement which he released on Monday to Gestifute, (the website of his agent Jorge Mendes), they did hold extensive talks with the Portuguese coach.
The statement read: "After Steve McClaren left the England football team, my representatives maintained contact with the FA. In that sense, I had myself useful discussions with Brian Barwick and Trevor Brooking where we exchanged ideas to evaluate the entire situation about the England squad and set the goals in case of real invitation being addressed to me.”
"After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager despite being a fantastic position for me. I'm sure the FA will hire a great manager, one able to place the team back where it belongs. I reiterate my respect for English football and, after three good years in England, I firmly believe that the England squad will soon be back to their usual great results."
Now that Mourinho is out of the running, Italians Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi are the favourites to get the job, after both have confirmed their interest in the job.
Top candidates with VC Bet:
- Fabio Capello 2/5
- Marcelo Lippi 4/1
- Martin O Neill 6/1
- Jurgen Klinsmann 12/1
- Luis Scolari 20/1
- Steve Coppell 25/1
