Egyptian journalists breathed a sigh of relief when Manuel Jose, whom they had strained relationship with, left Ahli but the Portuguese coach soon reignited his warfare against them. Jose took over at Angola but an opportunity to launch a vicious attack on Egyptian media personnel did not bypass him. While enjoying a vacation in his homeland, probably sitting on a luxurious armchair and crossing legs – an infamous image of Jose's interviews – the 63-year-old boss managed to stir controversy in a country that is thousands of kilometers away from Portugal. "Most of Egyptian journalists know nothing about football. They are bad journalists" he told Emirate paper Super in a lengthy interview. "They are also bad people on the personal level, so I don't respect them. I know that they will read my comments, but I don't care because I'm saying the truth." In his glorious spell with Ahli, during which he won 19 domestic and continental titles, Jose took many swipes at journalists for criticizing his fiery temper and some of his tactical decisions. The writers in return did not sit back as they replied in a similar vigorous manner. They went as far as questioning his credentials despite the huge success he had with the Red Devils. Jose might have departed Egypt, but he still holds grudge against its journalists. "They used to invent stories about me with unbearable impudence. I had no reservations about insulting them every time they provoked me," he added. Super preferred not to publish ruder comments by Jose, according to the newspaper's managing editor.
"We had to remove some unpleasant words, the least of it when he described Egyptian reporters as 'donkeys'," Ayman Badra revealed. Infallible Jose Whether success can act as an excuse for any notorious remarks is a subject of debate in Egyptian football. Ahli fans stood by their favorite manager, who became a cult figure among them, on numerous occasions during his stint at the helm. They believed he was infallible, something that did not go down well with journalists. "Jose is no stranger to rudeness," renowned pundit Hassan Al-Mestekawi wrote in his column in Shorouk newspaper. "He repeatedly made such comments and even attacked Ahli skipper Shadi Mohamed before." Al-Mestekawi is a highly-respected sports analyst but he landed himself in hot water with Ahli supporters, who criticized his stance on internet message boards. He is now considering whether media's treatment of Jose has been unfair after seeing the fans' reactions. "Are the fans right? Did they react like that because they love the charismatic Jose or they think we (journalists) were unfair," Al-Mestekawi asked.
