Jose Mourinho bizarrely begins a live interview by revealing his dog died at Christmas… 12 years after the Spurs boss was ARRESTED in a row with animal health officials over the beloved family pet
- Jose Mourinho has revealed he lost his family dog during the Christmas period
- The Spurs boss made the revelation during a live television interview
- He was speaking ahead of Tottenham’s match against Brighton on Boxing Day
- Leya, a Yorkshire Terrier, hit the headlines back in 2007 when Mourinho was arrested and cautioned by police
- Police and animal health officials questioned the dog’s right to be in the country, leading to a disagreement with the football manager
Jose Mourinho has had a festive period to forget after revealing that his family dog died on Christmas day while giving a live TV interview.
The Tottenham boss was giving a pre-match interview before Spurs’ Boxing Day match against Brighton when he was asked by presenter Jim Rosenthal if he’d enjoyed Christmas so far.
An emotional-looking Mourinho replied: ‘To be honest, it was very sad because my dog died and my dog is my family. But we have to move on.’
.
Jose Mourinho (centre) revealed during a pre-match interview with presenter Jim Rosenthal (r) and Glenn Hoddle (l) that his dog had died over Christmas
He told Jim Rosenthal before Spurs v Brighton: ‘My dog is my family. But we have to move on.’
The moment could have been an awkward one for Rosenthal, but the veteran broadcaster handled the moment expertly and offered his condolences.
‘Oh my goodness me, commiserations for that,’ he offered before seamlessly moving the conversation back to the game ahead.
The Yorkshire Terrier, named Leya, is the same pet that hit the headlines back in 2007 when it was caught up in a row between the Portuguese manager and police.
Mourinho’s daughter Matilde posted pictures of the pet on her Instagram page back in 2017
Mourinho was arrested and cautioned in an argument over the dog’s right to be in the country after questions were raised over whether it had the correct vaccinations, prompting an animal health official to try and put it in quarantine.
The dog subsequently went missing, although this was later discovered to be a misunderstanding as she was in Portugal with Mourinho’s wife, Matilde, who shares the same name with his daughter.
Jose Mourinho (r) and wife Matilde Faria (l) take their pet pooch in London back in 2013
A spokesman for Mourinho said at the time: ‘Jose Mourinho can confirm that he was cautioned by police, and released without charge earlier this morning after an incident involving his pet dog’.
‘The incident occurred due to a misunderstanding over documents required for veterinary regulations. Mr Mourinho would like to make it clear that his pet dog was bought in England from a reputable breeder and has had all its necessary inoculations. Full cooperation will be given to the authorities over any animal health issues.’
The Tottenham boss has had a tough festive period on the pitch, too. His team lost to fierce rivals Chelsea on Sunday afternoon to leave the north London six points adrift of qualifying for the Champions League next season.
They play Brighton today and will be hoping for a win to close the gap at the top of the table.
Mourinho has had a tough Christmas period after watching his Tottenham side lose to Chelsea