Jose Mourinho has refused to commit his future to Roma after the club’s Europa League final defeat to Sevilla.
Roma’s hopes of Europa League success were ended after defeat to Sevilla in Budapest, with the Italian side beaten on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Defeat confirmed that Roma will not feature in next season’s Champions League with the club unable to secure a top-four finish in Serie A this season and Mourinho – who has been linked with becoming Paris Saint-Germain’s next head coach – refused to guarantee he would be in charge of Roma next season.
“I can’t say I will be here next season,” he said at his post-match press conference. “I will go on holiday on Monday, then we will speak.
“I told the owners I will tell them if I start talks with another club. As of now no other club called me. It is time for me to talk to the owners. It is time for the owners to talk to me.”
The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager was critical of the officiating in the final, with the Premier League’s Anthony Taylor in charge.
Mourinho – who gave his runners-up medal to a fan in the crowd – saw his perfect record of five wins from five European finals ended as Roma lost 4-1 on penalties.
The 60-year-old said his players ‘deserved more’ from a bad-tempered final, before suggesting he needs more backing from the Roma board if he is to remain as manager.
“I must say we’re used to this, but this is a European final and with this kind of refereeing, it is hard to accept,” he said. “If we talk about refereeing situations, it’s not two or three: it is many, quite apart from the big decisions. Those of us who have been in football a long time realise immediately what is going on.”
“Pellegrini falls in box and given a yellow card; Ocampos did exactly the same thing and he doesn’t get one. It’s a scandal. VAR called the referee and shames Ocampos but there’s no card given. Lamela – who, by the way, scored one of the penalties – deserved a second yellow but didn’t get it. And let’s not even talk about the big decisions. That’s just the small details. I told my players you can lose a match but never your dignity. We lost today but we did not lose our dignity. I won five finals but I have never been more proud than I am today. Happier, yes, but not more proud.”
“We missed two penalties and then Taylor and the VAR…,” Mourinho added. “Somehow we feared that something might happen … but that’s it. My players deserve more. I deserve more. They fight and deserve more.
“I am a bit tired of being coach, manager, communications director, of being the face that says we have been robbed. I am tired of all this. I will stay if the conditions to give more are there.”
