Mourinho didn’t start the war

HE didn’t start the fire; it was always burning since the world’s been turning.

The lyrics of Billy Joel probably weren’t designed to discuss the impact of Jose Mourinho on a controversial and ferocious derby between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Champions League; but they certainly fit pretty well.

The outpouring of moral indignation that has followed a match in which Mourinho and his on-field lieutenant Pepe were sent off amid accusations of diving, bias and incitement is unsurprising; but it overplays the role of the Special One in a rivalry that is as old and as bitter as anything you could find across Europe — even in Glasgow.