Gareth Messenger

Usually, when anybody in football receives a ban, it’s quite rightly met with negative connotations.

And while nobody did or has condoned the behaviour of Jose Mourinho 15 years ago, a decade and a half later you can’t help but feel that without it, one of the funniest stories to come out of it will never have even occurred.

March 31st, 2005, a statement. After discussing the incidents surrounding the previous month's Champions League clash in Barcelona, Uefa's disciplinary committee banned Jose Mourinho from the touchline for just two matches for alleging that referee Anders Frisk had been talking to Frank Rijkaard at half-time in the first leg.

It was a story that caused quite the stir in the press. The punishment dished out was so extreme that Mourinho was banned for both legs of the upcoming Bayern Munich quarter-final - with Mourinho's assistant Steve Clarke and security officer Les Miles receiving a reprimand. The Special One was also fined close to £9,000, with Chelsea handed a £33,300 penalty.

Now, this is where it gets even more interesting. Mourinho was told he was able to watch both quarter-final matches against Bayern from the stands but will not be allowed near the dressing-rooms.

"He is not allowed in the dressing room, tunnel or technical area before and during the match," explained a Uefa spokesman. "Nor is he allowed to get in contact with his players."

Many at the time speculated that Mourinho would find a way around that. They weren’t wrong.

When Mourinho joined beIN SPORTS in January 2019, he told the world that the infamous rumours surrounding the laundry basket were true…

It’s better than any of could ever have imagined. So, thank you, Jose Mourinho. Without that ban, on this day, we would never have known about all your dirty laundry.