Chelsea manager wins first FA Cup
(AP)Updated: 2007-05-20 10:41
On Tuesday Jose Mourinho was arrested in a legal wrangle over his family pet dog.
On Saturday Mourinho has the FA Cup in his hands for the first time after Chelsea beats Manchester United on the final's return to Wembley Stadium.
Life is never simple for the self-styled "Special One".
 Chelsea's manager Jose Mourinho gestures after his team won the FA Cup final soccer match against Manchester United at the new Wembley Stadium in London May 19, 2007.[Reuters]  |
Didier Drogba scored four minutes before the end of extra time and, between the final whistle and collecting his winner's medal, Mourinho raced off to make a phone call.
"It's a big victory for us and a big victory for me and during different moments of my life I think of my wife and my kids and I want to speak with them," he told reporters after the game.
"I just went to make a couple of phone calls and to be back for the celebrations with the boys. The dog is fine. The dog is in Portugal and the city of London is safe."
Mourinho's clash with the law happened on Tuesday when he received a phone call from his wife, Tami. The police were investigating allegations that the animal, a Yorkshire terrier called Leya, had broken the country's strict quarantine rules with trips in and out of Britain.
Mourinho raced home and refused to let police take the animal. He became involved in an argument with the officers, leading to his arrest for obstructing police, although no charges were filed.
Then the dog disappeared and Mourinho's family spent two days dodging newspaper photographers, before turning up in Portugal with the dog.
Mourinho stayed behind to mastermind Chelsea's FA Cup victory over United and finally got his hands on the most famous domestic trophy in soccer.
The Chelsea manager was the last to go up to receive the trophy from Prince William and carried it down the 107 steps back onto the field where his team had won it.
"It is the FA Cup but it is more than that," Mourinho said. "It is the first FA Cup at the new Wembley, it is an FA Cup against Manchester United, and it is an FA Cup that gives us the opportunity to say in three seasons we have won every competition in English football."
Mourinho had already won two Premier League titles and two League Cups with Chelsea and this triumph completed the English set. He has also won domestic titles with FC Porto as well as the Champions League and UEFA Cup with the Portuguese club
"This is a win that nobody can forget because it is the first at this new stadium, this unbelievable stadium," Mourinho said.
"This team (had) many, many (injury) problems during the season. Even with the problems we had, the team was together all the time. We won two cups, we lost the Champions League semifinal on penalties and we finished second in the Premiership.
"I'm not a magician, I cannot predict things," the Portuguese said. "But, if we did this and win things with players limping and losing an important player every week, we can ask what would be Chelsea's season if (goalkeeper) Petr Cech was not out for four months? If John Terry was not out for four months? If (Ricardo) Carvalho was not out for these last months of the competition?"
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