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| Jose Mourinho has had a dig at Graeme Le Saux for refusing to travel with Chelsea to Israel in 2001 |
JOSE MOURINHO has taken a swipe at former Chelsea star Graeme Le Saux - who refused to play in Israel after 9/11.
The Chelsea manager revealed he had meetings with his current squad – and not a single player this time had refused to travel to Israel to face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League tonight, despite the current terrorist threats around the world.
In stark contrast, former Blues defender Le Saux, plus fellow stars William Gallas, Marcel Desailly, Albert Ferrer, Emmanuel Pettit and Eidur Gudjohnsen all opted out of the Uefa Cup clash with Hapoel Tel Aviv in October 2001 – just a month after the attack on the Twin Towers. Manager Claudio Ranieri was forced to play a weakened side, and Chelsea lost 2-0.
Le Saux, now a member of the FA’s Inclusion and Advisory Board, last month accused Mourinho of setting football back 30 years for his treatment of doctor Eva Carneiro, who left the club after a row with the manager last month.
Mourinho said: “I didn’t have a single problem within the squad. I didn’t have a Graeme Le Saux.
“I had everybody without fears, wanting to come. I had even a player whose wife is maybe going to have a baby tomorrow or the next day – but he’s here, focusing on what he can do.”
The heightened security concerns after the terrorist attacks in Paris had increased concerns ahead of Chelsea’s visit to the Middle East.
But Mourinho said: “I didn’t have a meeting to ask them about their feelings. I had a couple of individual talks.
“Obviously it’s not the same to play in Israel as it is in Stoke or Newcastle. But I got from them a sense of responsibility. Of course everybody has come. Nobody has even tried not to come.
“We’re here focusing on getting a result. We need that for our happiness, our pride, and the people who support us.”
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