Gagged.
José Mourinho is set to return to the public eye this week as a pundit on beIN SPORTS’ coverage of the Asian Cup match between Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Thursday and the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Chelsea on Saturday.
However, the former Manchester United manager will not be allowed to speak about the circumstances around his dismissal in early December, according to the Times.
As part of his £15m severance package, United inserted a confidentiality clause preventing him from talking about his departure from the club.
United have reiterated that they expect Mourinho to abide by the agreement and that they will be watching the broadcast to ensure it is not broken. This stipulation means Mourinho will earn significantly less than he might have done had there been no barriers to what he could talk about.
The Portuguese is expected to earn £60,000 per appearance on beIN Sports – a fair whack for an easy gig – but it pales in comparison to the £1 million he earned as a pundit on Russia Today for five days’ work at the World Cup last summer.
beIN operate in Doha, Qatar, and Mourinho has reportedly accepted the gig with the broadcaster as he was due to be in the region on holiday at the time anyway, viewing it as a chance to pick up some extra pocket money rather than set the record straight.
His legal team are probably grilling him right now, asking him about Paul Pogba, lamp in his face, making sure he can answer any questions without breaking the confidentiality agreement.
Pogba has been very open about how much he is enjoying playing under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer compared to his time under Mourinho, who might struggle not to bite back given the chance.
But, if he speaks, he could be in big trouble…
