Antonio Conte: Chelsea boss calls Jose Mourinho ‘a little man’

“Before you make these kind of comments you must pay great attention, because you show you are a little man.”

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has called Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho “a little man” as the pair continued to trade insults.

On Friday, Mourinho said he would “never be suspended for match-fixing”,appearing to talk about Conte.

The Italian received a four-month suspension while at Juventus in 2012-13 for failing to report match-fixing at his previous club Siena.

In 2016, Conte was cleared by a court of any wrongdoing in the matter.

“I think when there are these types of comments, comments where you try to offend the person and don’t know the truth, then you are a little man,” Conte told BBC Sport on Saturday after his side’s 0-0 draw at Norwich Cityin the FA Cup third round.

What else did Conte say?

In numerous interviews to the media on Saturday, Conte repeatedly called Mourinho “a little man”.

He told BBC Radio 5 live: “When is the game against United? We can meet in a room. To try and explain about these comments. I don’t know if he is ready to meet me in a room, just me and him.

“I’m not surprised [at the comments]. He has to know before he speaks because he is suffering from amnesia.”

‘He is fake’ – what Conte said at the news conference

Antonio Conte continued to talk about former Chelsea boss Mourinho in the post-match news conference and explained further what had happened in Italy.

“It’s true I was banned for four months by the sporting justice for failure to report,” Conte, 48, said. “Then I asked for a retrial by court and then they declared it nonsense.

“Before you make these kind of comments you must pay great attention, because you show you are a little man.

“In the past he was a little man in many circumstances, he’s a little man in the present and for sure he will be a little man in the future. I consider him a little man and I consider him a man with a very low profile.”

Conte also criticised 54-year-old Mourinho, who wore a shirt with the initials ‘CR’ at a Manchester United news conference in February 2017, in support of another former Chelsea manager, Claudio Ranieri, who had just been sacked by Leicester City.

“I remember with Ranieri when he [Mourinho] offended him for his English,” added Conte. “And then when Ranieri was sacked he put on a shirt for Ranieri. You are fake, you are fake.

“I think in this last period he’s suffering a bit of amnesia. When you become older there is this type of risk. Also for me and for you.

“If you want to fight this person, you try to kill this person. And then after two years you try to help this person because maybe it’s good for you, for your profile.”

Best of enemies – a history of confrontation

7 January, 2018: Conte says: “When you try to hurt a person, especially if you know very well the truth of what happens, the court proved my innocence, when you do this it means you are a little man.”

6 January, 2018: Mourinho says his “clown” comment was not about Conte, but also says: “What never happened to me – and will never happen – is to be suspended for match-fixing. That never happened to me and will never happen.” Conte received a four-month suspension while at Juventus in the 2012-13 season for failing to report match-fixing at his previous club Siena, but in 2016 was cleared by a court of any wrongdoing in the matter.

5 January, 2018: Conte says Mourinho “forgets what he said in the past or his behaviours”.

4 January, 2018: Mourinho says he does not “behave as a clown on the touchline”, but it is not clear whether he is talking about himself, Conte or any of the other Premier League managers.

19 October, 2017: Conte says Mourinho needs to “look at himself” and stop talking about his former side.

29 July, 2017: Conte says he must avoid “a Mourinho season” as the champions attempt to defend their Premier League title.

14 March, 2017: Mourinho tells Chelsea fans “I’m still number one” after being heckled during his side’s FA Cup loss at Stamford Bridge.

12 February, 2017: Conte says he does not like Mourinho’s “joking” after the Manchester United boss said Chelsea cannot be caught because they are a “defensive team”.

23 October, 2016: Conte says he was “not mocking anyone” after appearing to antagonise Mourinho in Manchester United’s 4-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

-bbc.com