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Mourinho received death threat

November 29, 2004 17:58 IST
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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said his Champions League triumph with Porto last season was overshadowed by a death threat on the eve of the final and "weeks of terror" afterwards.

Mourinho also said in a biography, extracts of which were published by The Times on Monday, that he had resorted to hiring security to protect himself and his family in the aftermath of the May final in Gelsenkirchen.

The Portuguese manager, who joined Chelsea a month after Porto beat Monaco 3-0, described how he returned a call he had received on his mobile phone the day before the game.

"On the other end of the line, there quickly came a death threat linked to my arrival back in Porto," Mourinho said.

"'You think you're the best ... you bastard ... we won't do anything now because you have a final to play tomorrow, but as soon as it's over, consider yourself a dead man, because we'll get you, and as soon as you get back to Porto your fate is sealed. You don't have a chance...'"

Mourinho said the caller was a member of Porto's underworld and that, once informed, police had said that surveillance would be stepped up.

Once the post-match party celebrations started, Mourinho recalled: "So did my escape to safety -- or so I thought at the time, without knowing what was to come in the days that followed.

"First I was subjected to a campaign of rumour and slander.

"Then I was hounded and had people waiting at the entrance to my home, threatening both my loved ones and me. For the first time in my life, I was forced to hire private security.

"They were dramatic and unforgettable weeks of terror."

Monday's extract came a day after it was revealed that Mourinho's lawyer has asked judicial officials to provide him with extra security on his return to Porto for Chelsea's Champions League game against his old club on December 7.

Mourinho, who spent two and a half years at Porto, guided the club to two successive league titles and the UEFA Cup, as well as the Champions League trophy.

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Source: REUTERS
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