Chelsea Manager Handed One-Match Stadium Ban Over Referee Remarks
Press Association – Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been given a suspended one-match stadium ban and fined £50,000 following a misconduct charge from the Football Association over comments he made following the 3-1 defeat to Southampton.
Mourinho has also been warned he faces further punishment for any more such outbursts within the next 12 months.
The Portugese coach was unhappy at the decision not to award a penalty when, with the score at 1-1, forward Radamel Falcao was upended by Saints goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, and criticized referee Robert Madley in post-match media comments.
The FA confirmed Wednesday evening the Blues boss had breached the regulations.
“Jose Mourinho has been given a suspended one-match stadium ban and fined £50,000 after he admitted a breach of FA Rules in relation to post-match media comments,” a statement from the governing body read.
“It was alleged his remarks constituted improper conduct in that they alleged and/or implied bias on the part of a match official or match officials and/or brought the game into disrepute.”
“Mr. Mourinho’s suspended stadium ban will be immediately invoked should he be found by an Independent Regulatory Commission to have committed a further breach of FA Rule E3 for any comment or statement to or through the media before 13 October 2016.”
Following the defeat against the Saints, Mourinho gave a seven-minute flash television interview during which he lamented the calls from officials which went against his side.
“I think it’s time to be a little bit honest and to say clearly the referees are afraid to give decisions for Chelsea,” he said. The result was 1-1 when it was a huge penalty, and, once more, we didn’t get one. And the penalty was a crucial moment in the game with the result 1-1.
“And, I repeat, if the FA wants to punish me, they can punish me. They don’t punish other managers, they punish me, but it’s not a problem for me.”
“I want to repeat because I think my players deserve it, Chelsea fans deserve it, I am a Chelsea fan too, and I want to say it again: referees are afraid to give decisions to Chelsea.”
Chelsea have struggled for consistency this season, with the defending Premier League champions 16th in the table, already some 10 points behind leaders Manchester City ahead of this weekend’s home clash with Aston Villa.
Mourinho said he would only quit if he lost the backing of the players, with club captain John Terry stating the dressing room remained firmly behind the manager, while ahead of the international break, Chelsea subsequently took the unusual step of reiterating their backing in a statement on the official club website which read: ”The club wants to make it clear that Jose continues to have our full support.”
The Blues resume domestic action this weekend at home against Villa, who are another side out of form.
Full-back Branislav Ivanovic suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty with Serbia, so is not expected to feature.
The defender has returned to London to be assessed, with some reports suggesting he could be out for around three weeks, which would see him miss the away Champions League tie at Dynamo Kiev as well as potentially fixtures against West Ham, Stoke and Liverpool.
Forward Diego Costa will, though, be available against Villa having served a retrospective three-match suspension following his altercation with Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny at Stamford Bridge last month.
Costa was not involved for Spain during the international break, so used the extra time to help sharpen his fitness.
”It has been really important for me. I have been able to train with my own specific schedule to help me get better and better,” Costa said on Chelsea TV. “The sessions have been good and I have been able to benefit from being here. I have been working on what I needed to work on and I am happy about that.”
Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, meanwhile, hopes to be back in action from a knee injury by December after stepping up his rehabilitation work.
