Jose Mourinho has insisted he wants 'justice' as the former Manchester United boss continued his talks with Pep Guardiola over Manchester City's 115 Premier League charges.
Guardiola had sent Mourinho into a frenzy last week after comparing himself to the Portuguese manager after raising six fingers at the Liverpool crowd during Man City's Premier League defeat at Anfield.
Mourinho had raised three fingers at the end of his reign at Manchester United in 2018 in response to mounting criticism. And Guardiola said: 'Maybe we are similar, but he won three and I won six.'
That provoked Mourinho, who referred to the 115 accusations of financial impropriety in the Premier League that City are facing.
“I want to win, but I want to win cleanly and fairly,” said Mourinho, who led Chelsea to the title in 2005, 2006 and 2015 under Roman Abramovich.
'If I can't win cleanly, I'd rather lose. He won six trophies and I won three, but I won fair and square. I don't want to win by handling 115 cases.'
Guardiola later insisted he was joking, before adding Mourinho to 'a huge list that wants the team in League One or the Conference.'
Mourinho has now given his latest response to Guardiola, with the current Fenerbahce boss saying he does not want Man City to be relegated but insisting he is seeking 'justice'.
The 61-year-old also claimed he and Guardiola 'love each other' despite their clashes as bosses at Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Man United and Man City.
“Pep and I have worked together for three years, we know we love each other,” Mourinho told Turkish newspaper Fanatik.
'It is not true that I want them to be relegated, what is true is that I want justice. Small teams can sometimes be penalized with FFP if they exceed their limit by 5-10 euros.
'I also suffered from the restrictions when I was at Roma. I don't think this is fair.
'We love each other, he knows that. Words are one thing, feelings are another.
“All I want is justice, but we have no ill feelings toward each other.”
Mourinho joked earlier in October that he wanted Man United to pay him a bonus for winning the title, should Man City ultimately be punished by the Premier League.
Man City had defeated Mourinho's Man United team to win the Premier League in 2018.
“As you know, we won the Europa League and finished second in the Premier League,” Mourinho said in October.
'I think we still have a chance to win that competition because if they punish Man City with points, we might win that competition and then they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal!'
Mail Sport revealed on Monday that closing arguments in a case with huge implications for English football concluded on Friday – with a three-member panel now considering evidence before handing down a verdict in the coming months.
The proceedings began on September 16 at London's International Dispute Resolution Center and are shrouded in secrecy. However, after a brief break, both sides delivered their final shot last week in a high-stakes battle.
The Premier League has accused its champions of multiple breaches of financial rules and of failing to cooperate with a subsequent investigation.
Should City, who strongly refute any wrongdoing, be found guilty of some of the more serious charges, they could be hit with huge financial fines, points deductions or even relegation.
However, as Mail Sport previously reported, it is highly likely that – if no agreement is reached – both sides will appeal the upcoming verdict.
If that is the case, a final decision may not be made until the end of next season, leaving a state of damaging uncertainty.
City's alleged rule breach is said to have occurred over a period of 14 years.
The original 115 charges were expanded to a total of 130 following an administrative matter.
Guardiola is currently in the midst of the toughest period of his tenure, with City having won just one of their last eight games in all competitions.
However, Guardiola signed a new contract last month until 2027, which will take away the last ten years with the four-in-a-row Premier League champions.
In an exclusive interview with Spanish boss Dani Garcia, Guardiola gave a major update on his future, revealing that he will not manage any other teams in the future once he leaves City.
“I'm not going to lead another team,” he said. 'I'm not talking about the long-term future, but what I'm not going to do is leave Man City, go to another country and do the same as I am doing now.
'I wouldn't have the energy… The thought of starting somewhere else, the whole training process and so on… No, no, no! Maybe a national team, but that's different.'
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