Chelsea delay appeal decision
Chelsea are likely to delay a decision over an appeal against their fines and bans in Europe until Monday but have dismissed as a “joke” reports that manager Jose Mourinho was planning to resign at the end of the season.
Mourinho was banned from the touchline for two matches – the Champions League quarter-final legs against Bayern Munich – and fined about €13,000 for bringing the game into disrepute following the Anders Frisk affair.
And media outlets in his native Portugal have claimed Mourinho feels Chelsea did not support him sufficiently against the charges.
But Chelsea spokesman Simon Greenberg said: “I have been talking to the manager all day and he did not even mention this. It is all speculation and we are aware where it is coming from.
“We have until Monday to appeal against the suspension and the fines and could make a decision then or tomorrow. It is the board’s decision. We are still clarifying the wording of the punishments.
“We have to consider all the details of the wording. I haven’t spoken to the manager about it but we know stories of him resigning showed up first in a spam email – clearly an April Fool’s Day joke.”
Mourinho raced straight to the Chelsea team bus after their 3-1 win at Southampton today which put them 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League with seven games to play.
Not even Steve Clarke, also fined in the row over tunnel conduct in Barcelona last month, appeared at the post-match press conference for comment.
However, Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen believes the Londoners will cope without Mourinho on the touchline in the two matches against the German side.
Gudjohnsen, who scored twice today, told Sky Premiership Plus: “I’m sure he’ll get us fired up enough before the game.”
The Iceland international’s second strike came after Kevin Phillips had pulled a goal back for the Saints.
But Southampton manager Harry Redknapp believes the game turned on a mistake by referee Mark Halsey which led to the opening goal.
The official awarded a free-kick to Chelsea for a foul on Mateja Kezman by Saints defender Andreas Jakobsson.
And Frank Lampard’s kick took a deflection which wrong-footed Saints goalkeeper Antti Niemi.
Redknapp said: “There was very little in it. They never opened us up but they are a good side and that’s why they will win the title.
“In the end, a bad free kick made all the difference.
“Kezman was falling over all day and got a free kick which Frank mis-hit, but we were desperately unlucky with the deflection.
“The ref had a bad game I thought. I don’t like to talk about them but I thought he got a few key decisions wrong.
“We had a chance when Kevin Phillips came back and pulled a goal back but then we gave the ball away and they passed their way through us to wrap it up.”
