Jose Mourinho spoke to the press ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup and praised the sport
Chelsea FC boss Jose Mourinho spoke to British TV channel ITV (via the Evening Standard) about the impending 2015 World Rugby Cup and stated that football could learn a thing or two from the other sport.
Speaking in his role of United Nations’ World Food Programme ambassador (the World Cup’s humanitarian partner), Mourinho talked about the more grounded nature of rugby.
"My feeling is that rugby is only about passion. Football is changing a lot and I cannot say the same."
With the gross amounts of money in the modern game, there are often accusations that the players don’t have as much passion as they used to. Footballers can get rich, or at least richer than those in other professions, by sitting on the bench. Hell, in some cases they are getting paid for sitting at home.
Money in rugby is on the up, but is still nowhere near football levels. The players grind out throughout the year for a relatively modest salary and thus you can understand where Mourinho is coming from. Rugby players truly want to play the game and you will be hard-pressed to find incidents of players refusing to take the field or sulking in the stands.
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Having said that, there are certainly many footballers who have passion that matches anyone in the sporting world. Yes, they are being paid handsomely, but a lot of players desperately want to play every week and will move if it increases their chances of doing so.
The issue with football is that the minority is just that bit too big and as a result the sport projects a distasteful image. The fact that a person working within the game with as a high a profile as Mourinho possesses is saying such things only emphasises the problem.
Away from the issue of passion, the Blues boss also discussed Chelsea’s poor start to the season.
"At the moment, we are losing matches and not getting results. But step by step we are going to be back on track."
While it is good to see that Mourinho is optimistic, the ‘step by step’ part is concerning. With Manchester City already eight points ahead, the team has no time to ease themselves into the campaign. Chelsea have to hit the ground running upon the Premier League’s resumption this weekend.
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Unfortunately, it will not be easy as the Blues face a trip to Goodison Park to take on Everton. This has become a must-win game, even though it is a fixture in which a victory would usually be regarded as a very good result.
The good news is that Eden Hazard has bagged two goals over the international break so hopefully the Belgian will return to his form of last season come Saturday.
We shall see.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup begins on 18th September. All the home nations will participate, as well as the United States.
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