Mourinho wins Real battle to hold more power

London: Jose Mourinho’s power base at Real Madrid will now grow significantly, as he has been appointed as the club’s “sporting manager of football”.

Mourinho’s new title was rubber-stamped at a board meeting on Friday. It follows the firing of Jorge Valdano as director general. Relations between Mourinho and Valdano broke down soon after the Portuguese arrived from Inter Milan at the end of the 2009-10 season. President Florentino Perez eventually decided to get rid of Valdano, favouring Mourinho and giving him more wide-ranging influence as the club seek to end the domination of arch rivals Barcelona and claim a 10th European crown. According to the Sun, Mourinho has also been working closely with sporting director Zinedine Zidane, who has also taken on a more active role since Valdano’s exit. Bureau Report