Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is not sorry for poking a rival in the eye in the final moments of their Supercopa loss to Barcelona, his spokesman has told the Spanish press.

Television images and photos on the front pages showed the Portuguese jabbing his finger into the eye of Barca coach Pep Guardiola’s assistant Tito Vilanova as players brawled on the field Thursday.

The gesture made front pages and provoked an uproar in the media.

“Jose is not saying sorry, he is very clear that he is defending Real Madrid,” the coach’s spokesman Eladio Parames was quoted as saying.

“He does not care what the press say, the important thing is what the Real fans think.”

Parames said that Mourinho was responding to a series of provocations and insults from the Barca bench.

The bad feeling between the two sides boiled over at the end of the match in the Nou Camp, which Barcelona won 3-2, giving them a 5-4 aggregate victory and the first trophy of this season.

As players scrapped on the field, television pictures showed Mourinho walking over to Vilanova and poking him in the left eye. As Mourinho walked away, Vilanova then gave him a hard slap in the back.

After the match, Mourinho was asked about the incident and he replied: “Pito Vilanova? I don’t know who this Pito is.”