Jose Mourinho Joins beIN Sports, Won't Discuss Manchester United Sacking
Jose Mourinho will take up a role as pundit for beIN Sports this week, according to BBC Sport's Simon Stone. However, Mourinho won't be allowed to discuss getting sacked by Manchester United back in December.
Ironically, one of Mourinho's first jobs for the broadcaster will be to offer analysis of another of his former clubs, Chelsea, when the Blues meet London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday.
Before then, Mourinho will provide punditry for an Asian Cup match between Qatar and Saudi Arabia this Thursday. He will receive more than £120,000 for his work on both games, per Stone.
Yet fans won't get the chance to hear Mourinho lift the lid on his controversial split from United. The 55-year-old was sent packing from Old Trafford on December 18 with United languishing 11 points outside the top four in the Premier League.
Mourinho had issues with the Reds' spending, and there were also rumours of discord between the manager and several key players, notably club-record signing Paul Pogba.
Unfortunately, Mourinho won't be shedding light on those issues in his new job. United added a non-disclosure agreement as part of the compensation package that, as Stone noted, paid Mourinho "about £18 million."
United are said to have reaffirmed to Mourinho the need to abide by the clause. Club lawyers will listen in to his work to make sure all obligations are met, according to Matt Hughes of The Times (h/t Thomas Bristow of the Daily Mirror).
The agreement is standard but still a smart and necessary step by United. Mourinho has rarely been shy about voicing his displeasure with issues and figures within the game.
If he had the freedom to vent about his ill-fated spell in the red half of Manchester, his words would create uncomfortable questions for the club. Caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would likely find his press conferences hijacked by demands to answer Mourinho's statements.
Any revelations about Pogba from the latter could have disrupted the significant upturn in form the Frenchman has experienced since Solskjaer took over.
United are still in sixth place but have closed the gap on the top four to just six points after winning five league matches in a row on Solskjaer's watch.
Even without the opportunity to dish the dirt on his demise at United, Mourinho's turn as a pundit will no doubt still attract plenty of attention. His experience as a proven winner, flair for a soundbite and history of controversy will surely make him an entertaining addition to beIN Sports' coverage.
Said controversy may not take long to reappear if Mourinho's job puts him in contact with former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman has a long relationship working with beIN Sports as well as a lengthy track record of bitter spats with Mourinho.
Wenger was infamously dubbed "a specialist in failure" by Mourinho back in 2014. Things became physical between the pair when Wenger shoved his nemesis on the touchline during a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2014.
Whoever he works with, Mourinho can be counted on for insightful observations and a few sure to raise eyebrows in some quarters.
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