Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has halted his press conference to pay tribute to Prince Philip. The Queen’s husband died at the age of 99 on Friday. And Mourinho has now paid his respects to the Royal Family icon.
Buckingham Palace revealed on Friday that Prince Philip had passed away.
“It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” he a statement read.
“His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.”
And Mourinho, speaking ahead of Tottenham’s clash with Manchester United, has now paid tribute to Philip.
“I’m sorry, I will answer your questions. I’m just sorry because I read some sad news about Prince Philip,” he said.
“So I would like to express my condolences to the Royal Family and to be very honest and say I have a deep, deep, deep utmost respect for the Royal Family, so my deepest condolences.
“And I believe it’s not just this country that is going to be sharing these feelings. Because I’m not English, I know many like myself will have the utmost respect.”
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also reacted to the news, paying tribute to the duke’s role as the longest serving consort in history.
“Prince Philip earned the affection of generations here in the United Kingdom, across the Commonwealth, and around the world,” he said.
“From that conflict he took an ethic of service that he applied throughout the unprecedented changes of the post-War era,” Mr Johnson said.
“Like the expert carriage driver that he was, he helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life.”
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter: “I send my personal and deepest condolences – and those of scotgov and the people of Scotland – to Her Majesty The Queen and her family.”
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“He’s calling out top players, but they are not all top players. Tottenham have a few top players, but that’s it,” he said.
“Football is decided on fine margins. Harry Kane goes through, gives the goalkeeper the eyes and hits the post. If that goes in it’s game over and they might even score another goal before the end of the game and we are all talking about how amazing Spurs are and what a result it is to win at Newcastle.
“But, in the end, they draw 2-2 and that’s it really, you look at Spurs and you worry about them. I worry because if you are calling the players out like that, I don’t think it’s going to work out.
“The players are going to go the other way, which they shouldn’t because it’s a bit of a joke, but that’s part of it nowadays.
“When they open the game up, they look OK, but it’s hard. We know what it says on the tin with Jose Mourinho. That’s the way they play.
“Is it because they are good defensively? I don’t think they are good defensively. When I look at Spurs, I just think they rely too much on Harry Kane.”
