Soccer:Jose Mourinho's troublesome relationship with the Madrid-based media continued when he refused to answer their questions after 10-man Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with La Liga leaders Barcelona last night.
No one was sure whether Mourinho would came out to speak to reporters at the Bernabeu after the match following his decision to sit in silence and allow his number two Aitor Karanka to host the pre-match news conference on Friday.
Mourinho's actions, an attempt to avoid heating up the atmosphere before the 'clasico', prompted a walkout by around 30 local journalists in protest.
But after Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty eight minutes from time had cancelled out Lionel Messi's earlier penalty following Raul Albiol dismissal, Mourinho broke his silence to offer a sharp reply to a question from a reporter of a local sports daily.
"Are you the director of AS?," Mourinho asked. "If not, I can't reply. Because according to your philosophy, if you won't speak to my number two, I will only speak to the directors."
The next question went the same way.
"I can't reply," he said again. "Punto Pelota didn't have the respect to talk to someone who deserved respect. A person who had won three European cups with this club, who has all the credibility to be my representative in a press conference."
The Portuguese than went on to answer questions from Barcelona-based or international journalists, while continuing to snub other questions from Madrid media.
Mourinho has frequently clashed with the media during his coaching career and has angered journalists in Spain since his arrival at the end of last season by cutting back on their access to players and training.
His latest outburst was a sour note after a battling performance that will have given Real's morale a boost ahead of Wednesday's King's Cup final against Barca.
Barca, meanwhile, took a giant stride towards a third straight La Liga title after the draw preserved their eight-point lead over their arch rivals at the top with six games left.
In a tense encounter at a packed Bernabeu, the first of four clashes between the teams in three competitions in 18 days, Messi put Barca ahead from the spot in the 53rd minute after Raul Albiol was sent off for a foul on David Villa.
The champions were cruising towards a sixth consecutive victory in the "Clasico" under coach Pep Guardiola when Dani Alves felled Marcelo and the referee awarded another penalty, converted by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 82nd minute.
With Wednesday's King's Cup final and the two-legged Champions League semi-final still to come, Real may take some comfort from the fact they managed to come from behind to snatch a point despite a numerical disadvantage.
