Jose Mourinho joins special Scuola di Tifo event

José Mourinho was the very special guest of the latest 'A Scuola di Tifo' event on Tuesday afternoon, as he met with schoolchildren from Rome for a special lesson.

'A Scuola di Tifo' ('School for Supporters') is a Roma Cares initiative that, since 2020, has been carried out in the memory of Willy Monteiro, a young boy who was killed in Colleferro that year.

The initiative aims to teach youngsters from around the capital the importance of qualities like equality, fair play and respect for all.

Mourinho, joining the initiative for the first time, surprised young students from the Sandro Onofri Comprehensive for a special online lesson, as he answered their questions on a wide range of topics.

He spoke of his own fondness for the education system, among a number of other subjects.

"Before becoming a football coach I was a school teacher for five and six-year-olds," Mourinho said.

"It was something I really enjoyed doing. Kids are amazing. Today, with two children that are 25 and 21, I still have a lot of nostalgia for when they were 10 or 11. That's a great age.

"I think teachers have much more responsibility on their shoulders than coaches, because they are preparing people for life. I think that is often forgotten, but I am the son of a teacher and a former teacher myself and that's why I have a huge amount of respect for the job."

He added: "Sometimes in football, or sport in general, the word 'enemy' or 'enemies' is used - but really it's not a word that should exist in our vocabulary.

"In my opinion they may be opponents for a few minutes, but not once the game is finished. I don't think it's a coincidence that after games you often see lovely scenes of opponents embracing each other - perhaps because they are international teammates or played in the same team before.

"At the end of the day we are all part of the same family - which is the family of sport."