Lazio have slammed Jose Mourinho for being “obsessed” in an astonishing official club statement in response to comments made by the Roma boss.
Mourinho took a swipe at Roma’s city rivals after his team were held to a goalless draw by Bologna on Sunday, ending their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League. Lazio had pulled themselves level with Roma in Serie A a day earlier by winning at Spezia, but Francesco Acerbi’s last minute winner appeared to come from an offside position.
Speaking after his side’s match on Sunday, Mourinho took aim at Lazio and questioned how their goal was allowed to stand.
“Another thing that never changes is that 22 years ago,” he explained, via the Daily Mail. “You could win a match with a goal that is offside and you can still do it today. Yesterday, a team won a match with a goal that was offside.”
However, those comments did not sit well with Lazio and the club hit back at Mourinho in an astonishing official statement, although they did not explicitly name the former Chelsea boss.
The statement reads: “The fact that in 2022, an opposing coach repeatedly mentions other clubs and presumed referee errors and that, at the same time, journalists of proven football faith get worked up about the same matter, forgetting about their professional role and impartiality, proves two things.
“That Lazio is obsessively in their thoughts, more than other ambitious targets and that, as it usually happens, they look at someone else’s home to divert attention from failings or incredible incidents, in their favour, that occurred under everyone’s noses.