WATCH: Antonio Conte Pranked With Mourinho-Signed Jersey During Press Conference
Last month, Jose Mourinho was the victim of a prank by Italian reporters where he was tricked into signing a Manchester United jersey with Chelsea boss Antonio Conte's name on the back.
This time, it was Conte's turn to be 'pranked' after he was the subject of a strange joke during a press conference.
The prankster is thought to be Stefano Corti, co-presenter of Italia 1 show Le Iene and perpetrator of the previous joke pulled on Mourinho. He was posing as a journalist before he approached Conte at the conference.
Corti presented a tablet and asked the Blues boss to answer a question. ESPN Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey witnessed this surreal prank unfold.
Corti's co-presenters speaking via relay on the tablet said, "Antonio, we sent you a messenger. A present for you from your brand new friend, Jose Mourinho. He told us he loves you. Look at what he has written on the present he sent out for you... 'Your friend, Jose'."
The Italian presenter then presented a Manchester United shirt to Conte. Corti added, "This is a present for you. It is signed by Jose Mourinho... 'To my friend Antonio'. Long live friendship...shall I leave it for you?"
A baffled Antonio Conte replied, "No, you can take it with you. Keep it, you will give it to me later."
Corti was then asked to sit back down by by Chelsea's head of communications, Steven Atkins. Apparently once the cameras were off, the Italian prankster was escorted from the training ground.
Conte and Mourinho's war of words earlier this season escalated to the point of mud-slinging after Mourinho brought up previous accusations of match fixing during Antonio Conte's days at Juventus, a charge that was later dropped
While tensions have since calmed, it is still clear that Mourinho and Conte are not too fond of one another. There could be another enthralling battle on the touchline when Chelsea and Manchester United meet again on 25th February.
