Mourinho did not mention names but it seemed obvious he was referring to himself, then at Chelsea, and Ferreira, whose Sporting Braga had lost top spot in the Portuguese league that week after an unexpected defeat in the Minho derby against Vitoria Guimaraes.
That the match even remained a contest can be put down to a scratchy Ross Taylor and another heroic stand from Grant Elliott, whose sporting gesture in the semi-final was this week to cricket what John Landy's hand of sportsmanship is to long-distance running.
They were introduced by Bryn Robertson, a successful businessman whose sporting ambitions were wrecked by drugs and alcohol.
Bannister, whose sporting fame was to overshadow Chataway's achievements despite the initial suggestion of the BBC award, paid warm tribute.
Full-fledged construction is just beginning in Sochi, whose sporting facilities are scheduled to open for athletes in 2012.
Excitedly clutching picture phones and cameras, NFL superstars were queuing up to meet a guy whose sporting career peaked somewhere between playing full-back on the Yale rugby team and buying a chunk of the Texas Rangers baseball club.
