Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has spoken of his ‘hurt’ by Spain’s treatment of striker Diego Costa during the international break earlier this month.
While the Blues boss is keen to cooperate with national team bosses, he believes that Spain’s treatment of striker Diego Costa has now seen the Brazilian born star ruled out of action for an indefinite period.
“There are no rules, no laws, to protect us – just mentality of the national coaches and teams,” he told reporters. “It’s up to them to take good care of the players or to think in selfish way and I’m not the kind of guy to tell players not to go or to pretend they have problems. I stimulate them to go and like them to go.
“But at this moment, since the beginning of season, I think from all the national teams, I have had one phone call, from Roy Hodgson. That’s the only one. Roy was the only one from all national teams that had personal direct contact with me.
“It was a private conversation but our relationship is correct and the door is completely open for him.
“Sometimes you have national coaches and medical departments in federations that want to establish relations and interested in how players are, what their physical condition is. Some others simply don’t care. Year after year, not one single SMS or phone call. That’s up to them.
“I have to accept the way it is. It hurts, it hurts. I am not happy when I give players in good condition and get them back in bad condition.
“With Costa, it is the same problem he’s had but now it’s an [actual] injury, not an ‘almost injury’.
“It’s simple. He’s not training because he’s not in condition to do so. I have no idea how long he will be out.”