Arsene Wenger blocks Jose Mourinho from sitting next to him at Uefa conference as Arsenal and Manchester United bosses rivalry goes on
The Frenchman and the Portuguese have an ongoing feud that has resorted in pettiness and childish acts from both
ARSENE WENGER apparently BLOCKED Jose Mourinho from sitting next to him at a coaching conference.
The two rivals have been at war for years over their differing football philosophies and Manchester United boss Mourinho's supposed jealousy of Wenger's long tenure at Arsenal.
But at a coaching conference at Uefa HQ last week, Wenger took the pettiness to another level - STOPPING the former Chelsea boss from sitting next to him.
According to a report in Spanish newspaper , Mourinho arrived late for a conference of some of the world's top coaches.
It was hosted by Sir Alex Ferguson and Luis Enrique, Zinedine Zidane, Carlo Ancelotti, Wenger, Mourinho, Max Allegri, Unai Emery and Rafael Benitez were among those present.
With the Manchester United manager arriving late and without a seat, because he had been speaking with other Uefa officials, he spotted one free, opposite Zidane and Emery.
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Apparently he asked if anyone was sitting there and if they cared if he sat there - a seating plan had not been pre-arranged.
The Spanish paper reports that Wenger's response was instant (and seemingly straight out of a high school canteen).
He is reported to have said: "No, it is not possible."
Some laughed but others pretended not to have heard the barb.
Mourinho, who will rekindle his rivalry with Pep Guardiola in the Manchester derby this weekend, has been a rival of Wenger since arriving in England in 2004.
They have continually sniped at each other, with Mourinho even calling Wenger a "voyeur" during his first season at Stamford Bridge.
In 2014, Wenger said Mourinho had a "fear of failure2, to which Mourinho responded that Wenger was a "specialist in failure."
The pair then engaged in a pushing and shoving match that October at Stamford Bridge.
They didn't shake hands in the Community Shield in August 2015 and again clashed after a fiery contest that saw Diego Costa's taunting lead to Gabriel Paulista's red card.
Mourinho then had a dig at Wenger on his first day in charge of Manchester United.