The Napoli star insisted that he voted for the Portuguese rather than Vicente del Bosque in the Coach of the Year award, despite Fifa's claims to the contrary

Vicente del Bosque , but the world governing body insisted that the FYROM captain nominated the Spain boss, releasing an image of his ballot paper.

" Pandev was one of those that called me. Others prefer to remain anonymous, and I can only respect that. I appreciate Goran's honesty and strength,"

Pandev had insisted that the ballot paper Fifa published was not his own: "All I can say is that the signature that appears on the fax is not mine. Jose Mourinho was my choice. Everyone knows that," he told Calciomercato.



Jose Mourinho has backed Goran Pandev for showing "honesty and strength" in disputing the validity of his voting slip for the 2012 Coach of the Year award.Mourinho said at an event in his hometown, Setubal."My intention was to explain why I didn't attend the gala, not why I didn't win. I probably wouldn't have won it anyway, but things are now clear to me and no-one can criticise me, period!"

"We all know strange things go on here, but we can't change the way it is. Neither me nor Mourinho can."

And in another twist, Fifa released an official statement to challenge Pandev's integrity, claiming that the ex-Lazio man should demand an explanation from his country's football association.

"If Pandev doesn't recognise his vote, he should hold his country's federation accountable, not us," it said.