Mourinho job not dependent on European glory: Inter chief

Jose Mourinho does not have to win the Champions League to keep his job, Inter Milan administrative director Ernesto Paolillo says.

Prior to Inter’s last Champions League group game against Russian champions Rubin Kazan a week ago, the rumour mill had suggested that failure to reach the knockout stages would result in the former Chelsea boss’s departure at the season’s end.

Inter won that match 2-0 and secured second spot in the group behind title-holders Barcelona, but press speculation persists that Mourinho must lead the team into the latter stages of the competition or face the boot.

“I see no reason to change (coaches). We’re happy, we’re top of the league and just imagine if the coach’s job was still under question,” Paolillo told reporters.

“The Champions League is important but we know very well just how difficult it is to win.

“The one who wins it will come from among the best teams in Europe. Hence you can’t tie a coach’s future to winning that trophy, it’s everything together that counts.”

It is widely thought in Italy that Mourinho was brought to Inter to win the Champions League after his predecessor’s failure to shine in that competition.

Roberto Mancini was fired despite leading Inter to three successive Serie A titles because he could not guide the team to the business end of the Champions League.