Third-Place Playoff; Very, Very Bad Concept- Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has re-echoed Louis van Gaal’s views that the World Cup third-place play-off is “unfair”.

Mourinho, serving as a Global Football Ambassador for Yahoo, described the third-fourth place classification concept as “very, very bad” and insisted that both semi-final losers just “want to go home and cry.”

Holland, who lost 4-2 on penalties to Argentina, must now move on to face hosts Brazil, humiliated 7-1 by Germany in a third-place match scheduled for Saturday night.

Holland Prepares to Return to the Estadio Nacional Pitch for World Cup Third-Place Playoff Against Hosts Brazil. Image: Fifa via Getty Image.
Holland Prepares to Return to the Estadio Nacional Pitch for World Cup Third-Place Playoff Against Hosts Brazil. Image: Fifa via Getty Image.

Mourinho said: “You lose a semi-final, you want to go home and cry, or you want to go home and get your wife and kids and go for a holiday, you don’t want to play.

“You go to the competition to win, you don’t go there to finish third of fourth; you want to go home, you don’t want to play.”

Chelsea were knocked out of last season’s Champions League by Atletico Madrid, following 3-1 aggregate loss in the semi-final and the Portuguese boss considers it needless to have asked him to face Bayern Munich- losers of the other last four tie- in a classification match.

“I lost Champions League semi-finals and I don’t Imagine a few days later I could play against the other loser of the semi-final and I could play for third or fourth place, added Mourinho.

“The guys at Wimbledon, when they lose the semi-finals, after five hours of tennis, they don’t go to play for the third place.

“I think it is very bad, it is really, really very, very bad.”

Dutch winger, Arjen Robben, the player Mourinho has described as one of the stars of the 2014 World Cup, also opine third-place play-off match is a waste of time.

“They can keep it,” said Robben of the match. “Only one prize counts and that is becoming world champion.”

The third-place play-off was introduced at the second World Cup finals in Italy in 1934 but has become unpopular with the teams.

Van Gaal, who will resume coaching responsibilities at Premier League club, Manchester United, after the tournament, believes third-place playoff only present teams with every tendency of losing twice on the trot after all.

“This match should never be played. I’ve been saying that for 10 years; it’s unfair,” said Van Gaal.

“The worst thing is that there is a chance you are going to lose twice in a row.

“And in a tournament in which you have played so marvelously well you go home as a loser.

“This has got nothing to do whatsoever with sport, not in my view.”