Mourinho slammed for ‘shocking’ behaviour after Roma’s embarrassing defeat

Jose Mourinho has been slammed for his "shocking attitude" by Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen following a bust-up in the aftermath of Roma's Europa Conference League humiliation last Thursday.

The Norwegian side claimed a shock 2-1 win in the first leg of the pair's quarter-final clash last week, however the contest was marred by an incident post-match. Bodo/Glimt boss Knutsen and Roma's goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos were embroiled in a physical altercation in the tunnel after the final whistle.

In the days since, Mourinho has made a number of snide remarks about the Norwegian side's staff, leading to growing tension ahead of Thursday's return leg in the Italian capital. Knutsen has since hit back at Mourinho over his conduct, labelling his antics as "shocking".

In response to the Roma manager's pointed comments, Knutsen told Norwegian outlet an.no: "This type of attitude is shocking. His values and his way of coaching are so far from what I represent. It’s incredibly disappointing to see such behaviour from a coach with so many titles and who has been part of the sport for such a long time.”

The fracas has seen UEFA provisionally suspend both Knutsen and Santos pending an investigation, with both parties citing the opposition as the incident's aggressor. A Bodo/Glimt statement on social media read: “We are surprised and shocked by UEFA’s decision. We will appeal, and will work on that throughout the evening.”

A particularly aggrieved and upset Knutsen also admitted the controversial coming together has even made him consider his future in the game. He added: “Events like this make me want to move into a different field. I even considered whether it was really a good idea to continue working in football.

Will Roma finally manage to beat Bodo/Glimt on Thursday and qualify for the Europa Conference League semi-finals? Let us know in the comments section.

“What happened is so far from my values, those of the club and of Norwegian football. In these situations, you need to find the strength in yourself and react in the best possible way.

“The most important thing for me is being able to look yourself in the mirror. If I couldn’t do that anymore, I would really have to consider if this was worth it.”

The war of words makes Thursday's second leg at the Stadio Olympico even more tantalising. Though Roma were considered favourites ahead of the quarter-final tie, Bodo/Glimt remain unbeaten in all three meetings with Mourinho's men this season having hammered them 6-1 and drawn 2-2 when the two teams met during the group stages.

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