“We want to play” – Mourinho shares his views on the return of football

Jose Mourinho has urged the footballing world not to be selfish and give the fans what they want amidst the pandemic.

Footballing action in the UK has been suspended for almost three months as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Premier League is now set to resume on 17 June after authorities decided to go ahead with the season with extra precautions being put in place including empty stadiums and regular testing for the players.

Mourinho admitted that he initially feared that the season would be over and that footballing action would not be back for a long time but kept growing in hope over the past few weeks.

Speaking to Spurs TV, he said: “I was telling Geoff Shreves the other day, we were coming here (to the training ground) singing the Rolling Stones song, ‘The ghost in the ghost town’ because we were used to coming here this place is (usually) full of life. Lots of people.

“Was strange but at the same time, we were always wishing that this period sooner or later would arrive.

“There was a time we were all scared when this started (COVID-19 pandemic) that the season would be over, next season will start September, October, November.

“And from there, less doubts, less doubts, and now it feels like it is coming. We want to play.”

The decision of the authorities to restart the season hasn’t been entirely popular with a few players still questioning the need to return despite the risks.

However, the Spurs boss implored the players and those who work in football not to be selfish.

He added: “I think we football world, we shouldn’t be selfish, we shouldn’t demand too much. It is our time to give.”

Later on in the interview, Mourinho once again reiterated his commitment to getting back on to the pitch by stating that he wanted “to give fun to people, joy to Tottenham fans and give good matches to everyone that loves football around the world.”

Spurs Web Opinion

While the initial concerns around resuming the league were certainly understandable, with the rates now coming down and with the country slowly opening up, it is time for football to return. The players who feel at risk should be free to opt-out but the vast majority want to get back playing. Besides, these players will be playing with the safest possible precautions in place and the average joe who is making a trip to the grocery store is at much more of a risk.

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