Jose Mourinho has denied giving an interview to Portuguese newspaper A Bola after it claimed the Chelsea coach had told police he had sent his dog to 'St Tropez'.

Mourinho was pictured on the front page of the Portuguese sports paper together with a humorous inset of a Yorkshire terrier lying on a beach towel.

The Chelsea coach had been arrested on Tuesday night when police and an Animal Welfare Service official had called at his home to remove the pet dog.

Mourinho's wife Tami and two children were at home when the officers called to detain the animal amid fears it had been brought back into the country without observing anti-rabies laws.

The Chelsea coach rushed from the club's 'Player of the Year' awards in Battersea to try to resolve the situation but was arrested when police could not find the dog.

The missing terrier is now understood to be safe and well, although its exact whereabouts still remain a mystery.

However, A Bola reported Mourinho as saying he had told the police he had sent the dog to St Tropez and also claimed he was the 'invisible man'.

Mourinho is alleged to have said: "I told the police to wait a little. I went into the house where my children were crying and I sent the dog to St Tropez.

"I went back 15 minutes later and the police asked me where I went. I answered - me? I am the invisible man."

However, Mourinho insists he has never spoken to the paper about the incident.

A spokesman for Mourinho said: "Mr Mourinho has not given this or any other interview."

Mourinho insists his dog has all the correct veterinary documentation and has received all the necessary inoculations. He also pledged to co-operate fully with the authorities over any animal welfare issues.