Angry Mourinho Imposes Media Ban

Jose Mourinho's fractious relationship with the British media took a turn for the worse today when he announced he would no longer be talking to the press above and beyond his match commitments following coverage of his comments about the manager's post at Real Madrid.

Mourinho is furious at what he regards as deliberately misleading reporting after he admitted "it would be an honour" to manage the Spanish club. He had made it clear he would not renege on his contract with Chelsea, which expires in 2010, but that was not enough to prevent a stream of predictably ambiguous headlines linking him with Real this morning.

And today Mourinho decided enough was enough. "It is a shame that the English written press cannot accept simple truth and reality and have transformed an objective and respectful answer into controversy," he said in a statement published on the Chelsea website. "The answer I gave in Spain, which I repeated during yesterday's press conference at Cobham, was that it would be an honour to manage a big club like Real Madrid but never before 2010. I have a contract with Chelsea, I love the club and love working here and I love English football. There is no chance I could be available for a job at Real Madrid next year.

"I would also like to add my total respect for Fabio Capello. Real Madrid cannot have a better manager than the one they have now. I cannot accept the fact that the press have completely changed my words and have created untrue headlines. Until further notice I will not be available to the press except for TV and radio commitments around our matches. I repeat, I want to be at Chelsea until 2010. That is my desire."