I've never been a fan of Chelsea or their manager Jose Mourinho, but I'll got to be honest with you ... this story has made my opinion of him do a total 180°. He's now among the contenders for my favorite coach of all time.In 2005, Mourinho was suspended by UEFA, in effect, banning him from any contact with his players in two tournament games against Bayern Munich. Today, it's being reported that to get around that ban, Mourinho got to the stadium early, watched the game from the locker room, and communicated with his assistant coach on the sidelines via a hidden earpiece. Then, to avoid being caught, he stuffed himself into a laundry bin and was wheeled out of there.
That is awesome. I mean, say what you want about cheating, playing by the rules, sportsmanship, fair play, blah blah blah ... a coach who is willing to hide amongst the laundry so he can help his team is at once a gigantic egomaniac, a creative visionary, and solely committed to his team.
Chelsea denies any wrongdoing, and alleges that the whole thing was published to hurt their team in advance of their upcoming Champions League matches. And I understand that they have to say that, but for Jose Mourinho ... this is a badge of honor. He should be damn proud of himself.
