Jose Mourinho is no stranger to clashes with referees, but he took matters into his own hands on Wednesday as Roma drew 1-1 against Monza.
The former Real Madrid and Chelsea boss said after the game that he wore a microphone to protect himself from “the worst referee” that he has faced while coaching.
Roma are currently in the hunt for a Champions League spot, but they suffered a big blow by dropping points on the road against 10th-placed Monza.
Stephan El Shaarawy opened the scoring for Mourinho’s side, but the hosts equalized through Luca Caldirola 15 minutes later.
With the score remaining unchanged for the rest of the game, a solitary point means that Roma remain level on points with AC Milan and Atalanta, and two points behind fourth-placed Inter who they play on Saturday.
Mourinho decided to take drastic action to protect himself v Monza
And matters went from bad to worse for Roma when they had Mehmet Zeki Celik sent off in added time for a second yellow card offence.
Mourinho was furious with referee Daniele Chiffi and didn’t hold back after the game.
“This was the worst referee I have encountered in my entire career,” he told DAZN, as perFootball Italia.
“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.”
And in his post-match press conference, the boss revealed he had taken drastic measures to avoid punishment.
“I am not stupid, I went to the game with a microphone and recorded everything from the moment I left the dressing room until I returned. I had to protect myself,”the gaffer said.
“They say we never win with Daniele Orsato, but I’d rather have him in every game because he’s always in control. He doesn’t need to act angrily, he is calm.
“Chiffi doesn’t have much of a referee. He has a talent for getting angry and this is it. But this is against the referee’s nature, who must be exactly the opposite.
“The referee didn’t influence the result, but a second yellow card at minute 96, makes you understand everything.”
José Mourinho hid a microphone inside his shirt last night to ‘protect himself’ from the referee: 🎤
🗣️ “I am not stupid, I went to the game with a microphone and recorded everything from the moment I left the dressing room until I returned. I had to protect myself. This was the… pic.twitter.com/Kjmgl17FWQ
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) May 4, 2023
Earlier in the season, Mourinho got into a heated argument with Chiffi back in September 2022, having to be physically restrained after storming onto the pitch when the official failed to give his side a penalty against Atalanta.
Jose Mourinho sent off for running on the pitch to protest during Roma v Atalanta.
Obviously.
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) September 18, 2022
And in February this year, the coach was sent off for clashing with fourth official Marco Serra as his side lost 2-1 to Cremonese.
Mourinho then received a two-match touchline ban for marching into the referee’s dressing room and using offensive expressions.
This season, he has been sent off on three separate occasions. It’s never a quiet day at the office when you’re dealing with 22 players and Mourinho on the sidelines.