Jose Mourinho admits to wearing a wire for his ‘protection’ during Roma’s draw at Monza

Jose Mourinho was left hugely frustrated with the referee’s performance during Roma’s draw with Monza on Wednesday night.

Jose Mourinho has confessed that he was wearing a wire in order to protect himself in the event of a heated disagreement with the match officials during Roma’s draw with Monza on Wednesday night. The Giallorossi remain outside the European places in Serie A with just five matches left to play as a result of their latest stalemate, which saw Stephan El Shaarawy’s early opener cancelled out by a stunning first-half volley from Monza ace Luca Caldirola.

Roma also saw a player sent off with just seconds remaining when Mehmet Zeki Çelik was sent off for a full-blooded challenge in stoppage time, leaving Mourinho incensed after the final whistle at the Stadio Brianteo. The veteran Portuguese boss even admitted to wearing a wire for his own ‘protection’ in the event of a confrontation with the referee, according to Gabriele Marcotti, before tearing into the match officials with a scathing review of their performance in his post-match press conference.

“This was the worst referee I have encountered in my entire career,” fumed Mourinho. “Believe me, I have dealt with many bad referees. Usually, when I talk about referees, it is because they have a direct influence on the game.

“In this case, I don’t think that is true. But he is horrible, he makes no human connection with anyone, he has no empathy, he gives a red card to a player who slips because he is exhausted at the 96th minute. Unfortunately, this too is a sign of Roma’s weakness as a club, because we do not have the strength of other clubs who can say we don’t want this referee.

“I stopped working 20-30 minutes from the end, because I knew he would give me a red card for anything. There are clubs that say I don’t want this referee and Roma either don’t have this capability or the DNA or anything else. It’s horrible. With the few players I have in my squad, I could not get a red card.”

Mourinho was seemingly determined to avoid getting involved in a confrontation with the referee against Monza, with the 60-year-old having been at the centre of a controversial spat with a fourth official during February’s defeat at the hands of Cremonese. He was sent to the stands for the third time this season as a result of his role in the conflict before arguing with the official in the dressing room after the match, with Mourinho’s angry response later earning him a retrospective two-match ban.