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Zoom gremlins ruin Mikel Arteta and Jose Mourinho press conferences

Jose Mourinho reacts during the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur - AFP
Jose Mourinho reacts during the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur - AFP

The Zoom revolution in football hit its first major stumbling block on Thursday night as both Mikel Arteta and Jose Mourinho were forced to reschedule their press conferences because of technical problems.

Mourinho was due to preview Sunday’s north London derby after his usual post-match press conference following Tottenham Hotspur’s draw at Bournemouth.

However there were issues with the sound at Bournemouth, with the manager unable to hear any questions. Rather than wait for the issue to be resolved, he walked out of the room.

Earlier in the evening Mikel Arteta’s pre-match press conference was postponed because of technical difficulties on his side of the connection.

Zoom press conferences have largely run smoothly in the Premier League since the restart of football, with some clubs even considering sticking with the technology ahead of returning to normal press conferences when lockdown fully eases.

Mourinho had earlier spoken to the television cameras at Bournemouth, where Tottenham were poor in their 0-0 draw. His side were denied a penalty despite what appeared to be an obvious push on Harry Kane by Bournemouth forward Joshua King.

Battle for Europe

The incident was reviewed by the video assistant referee, Michael Oliver, but the original decision was not overturned. It was the second time in three games that Oliver has ruled against Tottenham after he disallowed their goal against Sheffield United last week in controversial circumstances.

“The same referee that was the VAR against Sheffield United,” Mourinho told the broadcasters. “In the world everybody knows that is a penalty. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody.

“The game had the most important moment. You know when, you know who and I don’t want to say anything more in relation to that because everybody knows. I don’t need to say much more.”

Ahead of Sunday’s derby, Tottenham are ninth in the table, one point and one place behind Arsenal.