Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho: A Legacy in Disrepair?

The dust has finally settled, the appeals have been dealt with; there is no more controversy to endure.

Now the question is: After the Clasicos, has Jose Mourinho damaged his legacy?

Yes, I know that this blog has made "the Translator" the topic of many a-story. I know we have been mostly critical, and yes, I know that we have asked similar questions about Mourinho.

But recent events have really made a difference. I believe Mourinho is "damaged goods".

Firstly, we have the curious case of Sergio Busquets. Was/Is he a racist? UEFA say no. All we can do is accept this as the only one who truly know is Sergio himself.

Now, Mourinho must’ve talked to his players, Marcelo included, regarding this issue. Now, how could anyone have been sure?

I point to the equally controversial incident in the Round of 16, where Robin Van Persie claimed that he could not hear the whistle when he was given a second yellow-card. He gestured towards the 95,000 fans in attendance and said, "How can I hear the whistle?"

He couldn’t.

Now, how can Marcelo claim that he can hear something quieter, in exactly the same atmosphere? 95,000 fans shouting. Busquets presumably whispering. How can he be sure Busquets said "mono, mono"?

If I don’t think he could, why did Mourinho?

Well, simple. His team’s will not compete aesthetically with Barcelona’s. Copa del Rey victory aside, they cannot compete with the results. In this case, Mourinho usually turns to the press room, where he is usually the "chief".

But Guardiola managed to turn that in his favour, with his pre-match rant in one of the many Clasicos.

Mourinho was being swept. Like the Lakers, he had achieved unparalleled success in previous years, but now he was being beaten comprehensively.

From this, he could have recovered. No-one would bet against Mourinho and his teams, especially if he strengthened the already world-best Real Madrid squad. But then came the coup de grace.

The complaints lodged to UEFA. The accusation of unsporting behaviour, the racism claims, the pro-Barca conspiracy.

Unfortunately, we live in a world were the first two are common place in football. Players dive in most matches, and players will always try to influence the referee by surrounding him, or calling for a card.

The pro-Barca conspiracy claims aren’t just ignorant on Mourinho’s part, but recent stories mean they are actually hypocritical.

Anyone familiar with Portuguese football will know of the Apito Dourado scandal. Commonly known as the Golden Whistle scandal, it involves accusations that leading Portuguese clubs corrupting or attempting to corrupt referees.

Allegedly, Porto attempted to "persuade" the referee of the Benfica – Moreirense match, which was 1-1 at the time, to influence the result.

Jacinto Paixao was one of the men reportedly contacted by F.C. Porto, and apparently, Porto even offered female escorts to the entire refereeing staff of two of their matches.

The season this took place? 2003/04. The year Mourinho won the Champions League.

Here is the confession of Jacinto Paixao in English:

Jacinto Paixão Confession VIDEO (via jacintodourado)

Now, whether or not the claims are true, or if Mourinho was involved, it’s a little hypocritical of Mourinho to suggest Barca are favoured by UEFA. These claims are a PR disaster, and is sure to isolate Real Madrid further. Now the claims of Portuguese match fixing have resurfaced, Mourinho may not be the best choice for any team looking for a manager.

Manchester United are going to have to employ a successor to Sir Alex Ferguson sooner or later, I wonder whether the previous shoe-in Mourinho, will now have some question marks over his head…

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