Paolo Condo - The Duellists: Pep, Jose and the Birth of Football’s Greatest Rivalry

THE

PEP, JOSE AND THE BIRTH OF

FOOTBALLS GREATEST RIVALRY

PEP, JOSE AND THE BIRTH OF

FOOTBALLS GREATEST RIVALRY

PAOLO CONDO

Translated from the Italian by Anthony Wright

First published in English by deCoubertin Books Ltd in 2017.

First Edition

deCoubertin Books, Studio I, Baltic Creative Campus, Liverpool, L1 OAH

www.decoubertin.co.uk

eISBN: 978-1-909245-48-8

2016 Baldini&Castoldi - Milano

English translation Copyright De Coubertin Books Ltd, 2017

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Translation by Anthony Wright.

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LUIS FERNNDEZ HAS NEVER BEEN THE SORT OF person to pick a fight with.

When he was nine years old, his mother loaded him and his five siblings into their clapped-out car and took the family from Tarifa, a town on the southernmost tip of Spain, from where it is possible to see Tangier across the Strait of Gibraltar, to Lyon in search of fortune. They grew up in a classic banlieue. He went to school in one of the districts populated by the first waves of migrants, and football became like an escape route for him. Luis had endless energy and was physically powerful, although on one occasion after he had been called an espingouin a derogatory name for Spanish emigrants once too often, he beat up the person that had called him it and earned himself a six month exclusion.

However, it was this sort of upbringing that made him into the linchpin of that great France side of Michel Platini, Jean Tigana and Alain Giresse. If anyone went in too hard on one of his more technically gifted team-mates, Luis was the first to arrive on the scene, his face menacing, and ready to do anything to defend them.

People like that dont lose their edge when they become a manager. I remember one night in the spring of 1996 when Paris Saint-Germain were celebrating their Cup Winners Cup victory in a beautiful hotel in Brussels. The clubs owner had called upon the legendary Yannick Noah to motivate the team, and, under the disdainful eye of Luis, the former tennis player (and rock star, restaurateur, playboy and all-round guru of French sport) spoke to the team on several occasions in the days leading up to the game against Rapid Vienna. That night a group of journalists, a group which I was able to sneak into, smiled at Fernndezs entirely unsympathetic impressions of Yannick, who was busy in the next room entertaining the Parisian VIPs and charming their wives and girlfriends. Many journalists give Noah a lot of the credit for the cup victory, which remains the clubs only European trophy even after so many years backed by the sheikhs. Luis who had smelt a rat for some time chose the height of the celebrations to announce he was leaving for Athletic Bilbao, and received a warm send-off. The backdrop to this story occurs at San Mams a few months later, when Bobby Robsons Barcelona arrived to face Fernndezs side for a difficult La Liga match.

It was a stellar Bara side, although they were only able to enjoy the talents of Ronaldo for that single season, as the following summer Massimo Moratti made him the biggest signing of his Inter presidency at that point. Alongside O Fenomeno was the unstoppable Lus Figo, the wily Gheorghe Popescu, the killer Fernando Couto, the centre back Miguel ngel Nadal (who would occasionally bring his nephew Rafael to games, even though he was already a Real Madrid supporter), the tireless Luis Enrique, the precise Ivn De La Pea and, of course, their captain Pep Guardiola. On the bench alongside the experienced Bobby Robson was a stylish, good-looking young man who had a perpetually sullen demeanour. Officially, his role was the English coachs translator, but he had actually already been promoted to the first teams coaching staff. He seemed to be full of youthful exuberance, flicking frantically through the notes piled next to the head coach, who, in comparison, sometimes looked a bit lethargic. Over time weve learned that Jos Mourinhos body language is an integral, indivisible part of his personality: he doesnt use it to convey a message, but it is instead part of the message itself. At the time, of course, this was all completely unknown to Luis Fernndez, who grew increasingly angry from his position on the bench at La Catedral, where the first commandment is dont let anyone bully you in your own house, as he watched the young Portuguese celebrate wildly following Abelardos opener. When Jos Mari made it 1-1 midway through the second half Luis sprang into life, urging the Basque fans who arent the quietest anyway to roar the Leones on even more vociferously, and when Julen Guerrero fired a superb free kick into the far corner 15 minutes from the end, inevitably he ran to celebrate in front of the opposition bench. There was nothing much in that. But what the future Special One couldnt stomach was his lecturing, the finger pointing, and the insults. Mourinho got up from his position on the bench, his finger menacingly jabbing at Fernndezs face, and his provocation certainly got to Luis who up until then had been very heated but not violent as it then took a couple of people to restrain him.

Generally words drift away on the breeze in stadiums, but in some they can fester, particularly those that have narrow players tunnels, which can become a powder keg waiting to explode. It certainly did on this occasion; at full time Mourinho found himself surrounded by Basques among whom was a certain Aitor Karanka, who we will meet again soon and only Figo was there to stand up for him. Elsewhere, simultaneously, Guardiola suddenly appeared alongside Fernndez.

Dont laugh at other peoples defeats, the Barcelona captain shouted in the Athletic coachs face, and while the physical contact between the two was brief it was intense. Had it been anyone else, Luis would have raised his hands to shove them away, or more likely punch them. But Pep Guardiola was not just anyone else, and the Barcelona captains personality was such that the temperamental coach remained civil in his reply. As he spoke to him, he made it clear that it was the Portuguese who had prompted all the anger. He quickly justified himself: in his own stadium, with the adrenalin of victory pumping through his veins, and in a situation where others had already started scuffles, Luis Fernndez explained the reasons for his anger to the hieratic Guardiola, who even then was something of a warrior monk. Their encounter lasted just a few seconds: as he was being spoken to, Pep looked ahead of him, staring daggers at the Athletic players surrounding Mourinho and Figo, but he then forced the two Portuguese ahead of him as they walked towards the dressing room to avoid any further confrontations, like naughty children slinking away from a fight to avoid further punishment. His intervention was successful and was achieved with pure charisma: he didnt raise a hand, he didnt make any threats, just using the weight of his own leadership.