Mourinho: Lampard Sacking Is Modern Football Brutality

LONDON: Jose Mourinho says Frank Lampard’s dismissal is part of a ‘modern football brutality’.

Chelsea sacked Lampard yesterday after 18 months in charge of The Blues and his former manager expressed sympathy, describing him ‘as an important person in his career’.

Speaking after a win at Wycombe in the FA Cup, Mourinho said: “I am always sad when a friend loses his job.

“Frank is not only a colleague, but is an important person in my career, so I sympathize with his fate.

“But this is cruelty in football, especially modern football.

“So when you become a manager, you know that sooner or later, things will happen to you,” he added.

Lampard will be replaced by former Paris Saint Germain manager Thomas Tuchel who has left Paris for London to handle the team.

Lampard led Chelsea to fourth place in the Premier League and advanced to the FA Cup final in his first season.

However, he failed to create higher expectations this season after the club spent £ 220 million buying new players in the player transfer market last summer.

A series of five defeats in the last eight games of the Premier League have left Chelsea ninth, 11 points behind leaders Manchester United.

The FA Cup victory, 3-1 over the Championship League, Luton was not enough to save the former England midfielder.