Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – Jose Mourinho & UCI
Every Monday we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
HIT – JOSE MOURINHO
When you think of humility and the ability to admit when you’re wrong, particularly in sport, Jose Mourinho is probably not the first person you would think of.
One of the first rules of public relations is to hold your hands up when you’ve mis-stepped – and the Tottenham coach saw the funny side when he got involved in a dispute with England coach Gareth Southgate.
The debate focused on whether the Tottenham and England forward Harry Kane would get enough rest ahead of the international break and having featured in four games in eight days for his club side.
The “war of words” as headline writers described it, saw both Mourinho and Southgate comment on how Kane should be used.
“What I can promise to my friend Steve Holland and for Gary not to be jealous, for my friend Gary, I can promise that until the end of the season I don't play Harry Kane one minute of any friendly match,” said Mourinho.
Ahead of Tottenham’s 6-1 win over Manchester United, Mourinho clarified his comments and explained that he had not been trying to make a dig at the England coach.
“I spoke already with Southgate but I want to tell the public. When I said Gary Southgate I promise, and I promised to him, that I always thought, with so many years in England, I always thought that Gary was short for Gareth.
“I called him Gary and I apologised to him and I want to make that public because I only have respect for him. I thought I was being nice to him and in the end I was insulting him!”
Well done Jose, signs that you’re mellowing in your older age!
MISS – UCI
The American EF Pro Cycling team have often gone for radical designs.
But their Giro d'Italia colours have taken things to new levels of psychedelic colours with a duck’s bill emblazoned on the hats.
Cycling's world governing body the International Cycling Union, the UCI, fined the team 500 Swiss francs for each competing athlete - a total of £3,358.80 - for ‘non-compliant clothing’ which they claim had not been approved before being used.
In a sport that has been littered with scandals, the EF Pro team have brought smiles and some fun to the competition and prompted EF team boss Jonathan Vaughters to take the high ground by poking fun at the governing body and its President on Twitter.
“Oh @UCI_cycling you guys are always looking out for the best interest of the sport, aren't ya? Thanks for the $4,000 of fines for wearing our crazy ducks. Hope @DLappartient enjoys his dinner on us! Salud!”