Mourinho Comments on Referee and Focuses on Football
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Football coach José Mourinho spoke to journalists before an important match. He made several interesting comments.
Mourinho said it was strange that people already knew who the referee would be, a full week before the game. He said this situation felt unusual to him.
During the press conference, journalists also asked Mourinho about a shirt connected to Ceuta, a Spanish city. Mourinho avoided the topic. He simply said, "I talk about football."
This shows Mourinho prefers to focus on sport rather than other issues that journalists bring up.
Mourinho also spoke positively about football derbies, which are matches between two rival teams from the same city or area. He described these games in a very positive way, almost like a small speech of praise.
Throughout his career, Mourinho has been known for making sharp, direct comments about referees, rivals, and football situations. Journalists often call these comments "darts" because they are pointed and sometimes controversial.
This appearance follows the same pattern. Mourinho combined criticism of the referee situation with warm words about football tradition, particularly derbies. He did not go into more detail about his other comments regarding the current football season.
Vocabulary7 words
- coach
- a person who trains a sports team
- journalists
- people who write or report news
- referee
- the official who controls a sports game
- derbies
- matches between two teams from the same city or area
- darts
- sharp, critical comments
- controversial
- causing disagreement or strong opinions
- press conference
- a meeting where someone answers questions from journalists
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Knowing the referee a week before the match 2. He avoided it and said he talks about football 3. In a very positive way
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Football _____ José Mourinho spoke to _____ before an important match.
Mourinho said it was strange that people already knew who the _____ would be, a full week before the game.
Journalists also asked Mourinho about a shirt connected to Ceuta, a Spanish city. Mourinho _____ the topic.
Mourinho also spoke positively about football _____, which are matches between two rival teams from the same city.
Journalists often call these comments "_____" because they are pointed and sometimes controversial.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think Mourinho did not want to talk about the Ceuta shirt?
- Do you think it is normal for the referee to be known a week before a match? Why or why not?
- What makes football derbies special, in your opinion?
- Why do you think journalists are interested in Mourinho's comments?
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