Mourinho calls taping 'a disgrace'

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says it is a "disgrace" that a private conversation in which he appeared to criticise his strikers was broadcast on French TV.

Mourinho said he was joking when he made his comments to a businessman in Switzerland eight days ago.

quote The comment is not obviously a good one, not one I would do in a serious way, not something I would do in an official way

"It was a funny conversation with somebody that doesn't belong to the football world," said the Portuguese.

The editor of the Canal Plus show that broadcast the conversation said he was "surprised" by Mourinho's reaction.

Herve Mathoux also told CNN external-link he was "fully comfortable" with what he had done and said Mourinho must have known he was being filmed.

"The camera was located 50cm, maybe one metre away from him," he said. "It was a tight close-up,"

Speaking ahead of his side's Champions League last-16 tie against Galatasaray on Wednesday, Mourinho told the assembled media they should be "embarrassed" by the actions of Canal Plus.

"It is a disgrace that someone is taping a private conversation," he said.

"I'm not defending what I'm saying. I'm attacking something that is, I think, fundamental in your professional area and that person showed exactly what he is or what he does not know about the job.

"From my perspective, the comment is not obviously a good one, not one I would do in a serious way, not something I would do in an official way in an interview."

In the video, Mourinho lamented his lack of strikers and also suggested Samuel Eto'o may be older than he is.

Chelsea's strikers in 2013-14 Fernando Torres - 8 goals in 26 appearances

Samuel Eto'o - 8 goals in 27 appearances

Demba Ba - 3 goals in 18 appearances

"I have Eto'o, but he is 32 years old, maybe 35, I don't know," the Portuguese said.

Mourinho sought to limit any damage in the relationship between him and Eto'o, who is 32, by highlighting the fact that the Cameroon forward has played under him at two different clubs, Inter Milan and Chelsea.

"It was with Eto'o that I had the best ever season of my career," said Mourinho, referring to the 2009-10 campaign when Inter won Serie A, the Coppa Italia and Champions League.

"He's one of the few players who is working with me in a second different club and a manager never does that when he doesn't like the player or doesn't like the person."

Mourinho added that Eto'o, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala last summer, had "no reason to be upset" with his comments given he had once said he would never play for the Portuguese.

"After a few years, he was playing with me at Inter and now he is playing for me [at Chelsea]," said Mourinho. "There is no story."

Eto'o has only scored eight goals in 27 appearances since he arrived at Stamford Bridge last August. Fellow strikers Fernando Torres and Demba Ba have only managed 11 goals between them in all competitions.

But despite the lack of goals from the strikers, Chelsea are a point clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League with 11 games remaining.