Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho embarrassingly slipped after presenting a symbolic face-off to a match in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League on Monday.
Videos of the 56-year-old falling on a red carpet on the ice rink in Balashikha appeared on social media after the accident.
Mourinho was invited by KHL side Avangard Omsk in Siberia to take part in promotional work for the club and signed photographs ahead of the match with SKA Saint Petersburg.
The two-time Champions League winner was helped back to his feet by Avangard’s former Detroit Red Wings centreman Pavel Datsyuk after the puck drop.
Avangard play their home games in the city just outside Moscow after their usual arena was found to be unsafe for hosting games.
Jose Mourinho was a special guest at the SKA - Avangard game. Something went really wrong at the opening face-off. Pavel Datsyuk saved The Special One pic.twitter.com/I6SBRpobxi
— Igor Eronko (@IgorEronko) February 4, 2019
Mourinho has been out of work since he was sacked by United in December after two-and-a-half years at the helm.
Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lifted the Old Trafford side to fifth place in the Premier League table and is yet to lose as Red Devils boss since taking over from ‘The Special One’.
But since this was Mourinho, the fall quickly went berserk on social media as jokes flew as fast as the fall. Many of them were digs at his recent fall from grace at Manchester United, to no one’s surprise.
A brief rundown of Jose Mourinho's Man United career pic.twitter.com/20KjbX8eN7
— Goal (@goal) February 4, 2019
When u are sacked from United 😂#Mourinho #ManchesterUnited pic.twitter.com/TB4aDkHKJo
— Faisal Bin Sulaiman (@suhaimi_77) February 4, 2019
Mourinho making Jones proud. pic.twitter.com/eye8r3JPz4
— Vinay (@SemperFiUtd) February 4, 2019
Not sure if Jose Mourinho or Steven Gerrard
— Troll Football Media (@Troll__Footbal) February 4, 2019
(🎥: @mossakovskiy )pic.twitter.com/dL1oBeGbfY
Jose Mourinho doing his best Gerrard impression 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/br45FowmBo
— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) February 4, 2019
Goes down really easy here, but you won’t hear about it because his names not Mo Salah #Mourinho pic.twitter.com/bPKNAGa2aE
— SMO (@FirmiSmo) February 4, 2019
Any Mourinho slip is a win for any sport. Hockey Heritage. pic.twitter.com/AHODI4CXSR
— David Marshall 🇩🇪 (@Emikaze_) February 4, 2019
With inputs from AFP