Jose Mourinho blasts UEFA, declaring the Europa League would be ‘meaningless’ if it was gained by a group that started out in the Champions League – with 50 % of Roma’s feasible quarter-closing opponents dropping down
Jose Mourinho has strike out at UEFA’s policy of shifting groups to a lesser competitors if they are removed early from yet another.
Following Roma’s scoreless draw at Real Sociedad on Thursday, Mourinho’s side entered the hat for Friday’s quarter-final attract of the Europa League.
Mourinho avoided possible match-ups in opposition to his former facet Manchester United, or Portuguese compatriots Sporting Lisbon, by becoming paired with Dutch aspect Feyenoord.
As a substitute, he employed the write-up-match dilemma to elevate grievance with the way that teams who finish 3rd in the Champions League group phase are moved to the Europa League – and poke enjoyable at Lazio’s elimination from the third-tier Europa Convention League.
A further Italian aspect, Juventus, continue being in the Europa League irrespective of beginning the 2022-23 year in the Champions League.
Jose Mourinho has criticised the way teams can move from 1 UEFA levels of competition into another
Juventus continue to be in the Europa League right after exiting the Champions League at the group phase
Talking on Thursday evening, Mourinho informed Sky Sport Italia: ‘There are teams there who in my perspective should not be there. If they are eradicated from a competitors, they really should go home!
‘So if the Europa League is won by a aspect that went out of the Champions League, then it will be meaningless to me.’
A very similar course of action allows sides who do not development from the second-tier tournament into the latter levels of the UEFA Europa Meeting League.
Fellow Serie A facet Lazio ended up in the beginning in the Europa League, in advance of being put in the Europa Meeting League. They were being then eradicated completely on Thursday night just after two defeats to Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
Mourinho’s Roma aspect will know their quarter-final foes on Friday following beating Authentic Sociedad
Mourinho included: ‘The Europa League should to be for the teams who went as a result of the complete issue. I necessarily mean, Lazio usually are not likely into a third event now, are they? That’s how it should really be.’
Fifty percent of Roma’s probable opponents in the previous eight came from the Champions League group levels. Juventus, Sevilla, Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting Lisbon are all in with a shot at winning the Europa League.
On the other hand, Roma will rather travel to Holland to play Feyenoord in the initially leg of the next stage, soon after the attract at lunchtime on Friday.
If they development towards their Dutch opponents, their semi-ultimate will be versus either Belgian aspect Union SG or Bayer Leverkusen, who have been eradicated from the Champions League previous yr.
Roma now return to domestic duty wherever they will take on 3rd-put Lazio in Serie A on Sunday, forward of the international break. Mourinho’s Roma at the moment sit fifth.