Antonio Conte will 鈥榥ot forget鈥� war of words with Jose Mourinho

AFP
In this April 16, 2017 file photo, Manchester United's team manager Jose Mourinho, left, and Chelsea's team manager Antonio Conte react during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Old Trafford. (AP Photo/ Rui Vieira, File)

LONDON: Antonio Conte says he will 鈥渘ot forget鈥� Jose Mourinho鈥檚 personal slight about match-fixing, but the Chelsea manager added Tuesday he wants to call a halt to the increasingly bitter dispute with his Manchester United counterpart.
The 48-year-old Italian 鈥� who served a four-month ban in Italy in 2012 in relation to a match-fixing scandal but has always denied wrongdoing relating to his time as coach of Siena 鈥� said he did not want the League Managers鈥� Association (LMA) to intervene.
鈥淗e said serious words, he has used serious words. And I won鈥檛 forget this,鈥� he said ahead of his side鈥檚 League Cup semifinal first leg with Arsenal on Wednesday.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 not important, the association, you understand. It鈥檚 not important.
鈥淭his is not a problem for the club, it鈥檚 a problem between me and him. Now I stop. Stop.鈥�
Conte 鈥� who was acquitted of sporting fraud charges in 2016 over accusations he failed to report episodes of match-fixing while in charge at Serie B side Siena in 2011 鈥� said he had no regrets about his response to Mourinho鈥檚 attack.
The former Juventus and Italy coach labelled Mourinho 鈥榓 little man鈥� over his remarks on match-fixing, and prior to that suggested the Portuguese was suffering from senile dementia for forgetting how he used to celebrate wildly on the touchline.
Mourinho had provoked the latter riposte by saying he no longer 鈥榓cts like a clown鈥� on the touchline which was seen as a barb at both Conte and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
鈥淒o I have the look of a person with regret? I don鈥檛 think so,鈥� said Conte.
鈥淚 think we both said things, and we鈥檒l see what happens in future.鈥�