Mourinho has chipped away at Pellegrini in recent weeks, variously alleging that City have benefited from generous officiating and accusing the club of not adhering to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules.
On Monday he said that an FA disciplinary panel’s decision not to punish Toure for kicking out at Norwich City’s Ricky van Wolfswinkel during a game at the weekend may have set a dangerous precedent. Last week, Pellegrini took issue with Mourinho’s claim that Chelsea were ‘the little horse’ in the Premier League title race, countering that the west London club were ‘little, but rich’.
However, when asked for his response to Mourinho’s comments about Toure, Pellegrini chose to toe a diplomatic line. ‘I answered just once to Mourinho because if you remain in silence always, (people) may agree with those things,’ he told a press conference.’He started talking about referees and Financial Fair Play. I don’t think it is the way (to do things). But just once. I will not continue every week talking about things that for me are not important. ‘I repeat, I don’t respond to things Mourinho says every week because he will continue every week to try talking about things that are not from football.’
Pellegrini and Mourinho previously clashed during their time in Spain, with the Portuguese denigrating the Chilean’s achievements after succeeding him as manager of Real Madrid in 2010.
Mourinho is often depicted as a master of psychological ‘mind games’ in the British media, but Pellegrini says that he is not concerned by what rival managers say.
On Monday he said that an FA disciplinary panel’s decision not to punish Toure for kicking out at Norwich City’s Ricky van Wolfswinkel during a game at the weekend may have set a dangerous precedent. Last week, Pellegrini took issue with Mourinho’s claim that Chelsea were ‘the little horse’ in the Premier League title race, countering that the west London club were ‘little, but rich’.
However, when asked for his response to Mourinho’s comments about Toure, Pellegrini chose to toe a diplomatic line. ‘I answered just once to Mourinho because if you remain in silence always, (people) may agree with those things,’ he told a press conference.’He started talking about referees and Financial Fair Play. I don’t think it is the way (to do things). But just once. I will not continue every week talking about things that for me are not important. ‘I repeat, I don’t respond to things Mourinho says every week because he will continue every week to try talking about things that are not from football.’
Pellegrini and Mourinho previously clashed during their time in Spain, with the Portuguese denigrating the Chilean’s achievements after succeeding him as manager of Real Madrid in 2010.
Mourinho is often depicted as a master of psychological ‘mind games’ in the British media, but Pellegrini says that he is not concerned by what rival managers say.