Mourinho comments scrutinised by FA
13/07/2005 - 12:06:51Jose Mourinho could find himself in disciplinary trouble again before a ball has even been kicked in the new season.
The Football Association are deeply unimpressed by Mourinho’s claims yesterday that Chelsea receive different treatment to other clubs – especially arch-rivals Arsenal – and are scrutinising the remarks to see whether they warrant any action.
The Blues manager also claimed Arsenal have been given an easier ride with the Premiership fixture list and insinuated that the presence of Gunners vice-chairman David Dein on the FA’s board had implications for Chelsea.
Mourinho said yesterday: “After the first five games of next season’s Champions League we have to play away while Arsenal are at home.
“This is a fact yet nothing is said. Is it only Jose Mourinho who can look at the fixture list and see something very strange?
“Why is nothing written about that? Why are different clubs treated in different ways? We play Arsenal on a Sunday. Why? Because it’s Arsenal and the game follows an international. That’s a fact.
“If I stay with Chelsea for five years then maybe Mr Dein will not be with the FA any more and Chelsea will have a different season. A person who works for a club should not work for the FA.”
Dein is one of four Premier League representatives on the FA board, elected by the 20 Premier League chairmen. The others are Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, Blackburn chairman Robert Coar and Premier League chairman Dave Richards.
In May, Mourinho was fined £200,000 (€290,000) by the Premier League over the Ashley Cole tapping-up saga – Chelsea were also fined £300,000 (€435,000) – after a complaint by Arsenal but he insists his club get a raw deal.
He added: “I’m not concerned about how Chelsea are viewed morally. What does concern me is that we are treated in a different way to other clubs. Some clubs are treated as devils, some are treated as angels.
“I don’t think we are so ugly that we should be seen as the devil and I don’t think Arsene Wenger and David Dein are so beautiful that they should be viewed as angels.
“I went to Brazil on holiday, I didn’t go there to chase players behind their clubs’ backs. However, when I read the papers it’s completely different. The devils and the angels are the same thing.”
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