Jose Mourinho has launched a scathing attack on the Football Association after the Chelsea manager was fined and given a one-match suspended stadium ban.
Mourinho was fined £50,000 ($77,000/68,000 euros) 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.
He 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.
“I’m happy that I don’t have an electronic tag,” said Mourinho, who was speaking at an event in London to promote his book MOURINHO on Thursday.
“£50,000 is a disgrace. The possibility of getting a stadium ban is 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.”
In a clear reference to Wenger, whose infamous shove on Mourinho followed an angry touchline row, the Blues boss added: “We can push people in the technical area.”
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.
He has had to endure reports of a dressing room mutiny against his management amid Chelsea’s worst start to a season for decades.