Mourinho shoots down Real speculation

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ROME, Feb 19, 2010 (AFP) - Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho on Friday dismissed Spanish press reports linking him with the Real Madrid job next season.

The Portuguese is one of the most successful and sought-after coaches working in the game having won titles in three different countries and guiding Porto to the Champions League crown in 2004.

It means his name is often linked in the press with prestigious posts, but Mourinho had no intention on elaborating on those.

"I'm not getting involved in this game. There are two things that are difficult to accept in the world," he said.

"One is that I almost only talk in press conferences, I hardly ever give extra interviews.

"I know that for some this is hard to accept. I know that in England they want me to talk about Chelsea but I decided that I would only talk in press conferences.

"So dishonest newspapers invent stuff. The other thing that isn't accepted is that I don't have and I don't want a social life, I don't like it and on this I must insist on being respected."

Mourinho was in his usual rambunctious mood ahead of Saturday's visit of Sampdoria, continuing a succession of feuds that have developed between him and the hierarchy at other clubs.

Responding to reports that Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said he would not want to hire the Inter coach, Mourinho said: "He couldn't afford me anyway."

And then turning on Juventus director Roberto Bettega, who had told Mourinho to mind his own business when the Portuguese commented on a penalty Juve were awarded last week against Genoa for an incident that clearly happened outside the 18-yard box, Mourinho added: "Only in Italy do you have a 25-metre area."

But looking ahead to the title race, in which AS Roma are seven points behind the champions while AC Milan are a further two back but with a game in hand, Mourinho insisted he was not interested in how those rivals fare in European competition.

"Roma are rivals in the league, not in Europe so I don't care how they played yesterday (a 3-2 defeat away to Panathinaikos in the Europa League) and I didn't see the game," he said.

"What interests me is that in the league Roma are doing well and are an opponent that I respect.

"Even when they were struggling (at the beginning of the season) I always said they were capable of winning the title, there's some very good players there.

"And then it seems to me that they are also a cunning club because when the transfer window is open they know how to cry and also how to say no.

"They cry and say they don't have any money when they want to buy a player and then when someone wants to buy one of their players they know to cry, they're a cunning club.

"Milan could still become one of our rivals in the Champions League. A quarter-final between Inter and Milan would be wonderful because that would mean that we were both through.

"But Milan lost to a great team (Manchester United), not against a team of waiters.

"In the league they could go second and I have as much respect for Milan as I have for Roma.

"There's still everything to play for in the league and that's why tomorrow we'll be playing our best team and not thinking about Chelsea."

Inter, who have not lost at home since Mourinho joined the club, face a Sampdoria team on a four-match winning streak before hosting Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday.