In 2005, during his first stint as Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho is alleged to have hidden in a laundry basket to cheat his way past a UEFA touchline ban during a Champions League game. After picking up a ban for misconduct in a previous round, the Blues boss is said to have taken the unusual approach during a clash against Bayern Munich. On the night of the home leg against the Germans, onlookers are said to have been convinced that fitness coach Rui Faria was using an earpiece under a wooly cat to covertly communicate with the 'Special One', who insisted he had watched the entire match from a television screen at Stamford Bridge's leisure club. The story goes that Mourinho arrived early at the Bridge, and in fact watched the game from a TV in the dressing room. It is further alleged that he gave pre-match and half-time team talks, and was then whisked away to the leisure club at full time bundled inside a laundry basket, where it was claimed he spent the whole evening.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
