Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho launched a scathing attack on the Football Association after he was fined and given a one-match suspended stadium ban, claiming he was just happy he wasn’t forced to wear “an electronic tag.”
Mourinho was fined £50,000 ($77,000) on Wednesday after accepting a misconduct charge from the English FA for comments he made about the officials in the wake of a 3-1 loss to Southampton in the Premier League on October 3.
The 52-year-old was unhappy that referee Robert Madley had refused to award Chelsea a penalty for Southampton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg’s challenge on Radamel Falcao.
Following the news of the FA’s decision, Mourinho made it clear he is furious he has been punished, while Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has escaped any discipline for his own recent comments about officials.
“Every word I say is a big risk for me. I am happy that I don’t have an electronic tag. I think it’s not far from that,” said Mourinho, who was speaking at an event in London to promote his book MOURINHO on Thursday.
“I also think that £50,000 in the world where we live today is an absolute disgrace.
“And I also think that the possibility of getting a stadium ban is also something absolutely astonishing.”
Mourinho is aggrieved his old rival Wenger went unpunished for calling referee Mike Dean “weak” and “naive” following Arsenal’s defeat to Chelsea last month.
Wenger also escaped censure for pushing Mourinho in the Stamford Bridge technical area in October 2014, something which still grates with the Chelsea boss.
“The difference between afraid and weak and naive is £10,000 and one-match stadium ban,” said Mourinho, who will be banned from the stadium if he speaks out of turn again in the next 12 months.
“Afraid costs £50,000. Weak and naive — you can do it.”
Mutiny
Mourinho’s latest outburst comes after Chelsea felt obliged to issue a statement in support of their manager following the champions’ slump to 16th in the Premier League with two wins from eight matches.
He has had to endure reports of a dressing room mutiny against his management amid Chelsea’s worst start for decades, with the Evening Standard on Thursday reporting that one unhappy player has given him a “crude one-word nickname”.
But Mourinho made light of those rumours as he listed those who had spoken out in support of him and then racked his brains for those who had not, joking they would not face Villa.
“I think the mutiny must be... Baba (Rahman). Baba... who else? Falcao? Papy Djilobodji? Oscar? So these four don’t play Saturday for sure,” he said.
Mourinho called for the media to investigate his treatment by the FA, but he could now face further punishment after adding: “There is something that, now, we know. One, we can push people in the technical area. We can, no problem.
“The word ‘afraid’ is a punishment, and a hard punishment. But to say the referee was ‘weak and naive’, referring to one of the top referees, not just in this country, also in Europe, to call him ‘weak and naive’ we can do.
“The only good thing of this last decision by the FA is that every manager in this country can write in a little book and, when he goes to the press conference, he knows that ‘afraid’ costs £50,000. ‘Weak and naive’, you can do it.”
With Mourinho’s future at Chelsea the subject of much debate, he admitted even he would be surprised to remain at the Bridge for the rest of his career.
“If you ask me how many years I’m still going to coach, I’d risk 15 more,” he said.
“Can I stay 15 more years at Chelsea Football Club? I don’t think so.
“I don’t think modern football allows it any more, so normally I will not finish my career at Chelsea. I would like to, but I don’t think it’s possible.”
Comments
SHARE