Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has admitted that the fear of a potential ban by the FA has resulted in him not sharing his opinions on Nemanja Matic’s red card.
Chelsea appealed the ban and it was subsequently reduced to two games from three, but that hasn’t helped the club as he’ll miss the Capital One Cup final against Tottenham on Sunday and the Premier League fixture against West Ham away from home.
The Portuguese has a history of getting punished by the FA for his no holds barred comments and hence refrained from doing so this time, “If I give you my views, it’s bad for me. I can’t give you my views because it’s bad for me.
“If I speak again about the Matic situation, I promise I will be in big trouble. I can’t talk (about Ashley Barnes),a he said.
He was fined A?25,000 by the FA after he claimed that there was a ‘campaign’ on Chelsea and almost received a touchline ban as well.
Mourinho was silent when the FA decided to reduce Matic’s ban by just one game, but the club revealed their disappointment after releasing a statement on the website that read, “There has been universal condemnation of the reckless challenge made by Ashley Barnes on Matic and it is the cluba s view that he has been unjustly punished with a two-match ban for his reaction to a career-threatening tackle.
It is Chelseaa s opinion that referees and the football authorities must do more to protect players at all levels of the game from dangerous challenges. This decision also clearly demonstrates a need for consistency and fairness in the disciplinary process.”
Furthermore, the FA’s decision of deciding not to punish Barnes for his dangerous challenge was even more baffling.
Costa needs to be careful, admits Mourinho
Mourinho also commented on Diego Costa and said that it’s not his behavior that the Spaniard has to change, but has to be careful with the reaction of other players, a He has to be careful, but not with his behaviour,” said Mourinho. “He has to be careful because of other players and, as a consequence, the way referees look at him. Not because of how he has played since arriving in England. He has done very well.”
The striker will return to face Tottenham on Sunday and his comeback will be key for Chelsea as their strikers haven’t shone in Costa’s absence. Loic Remy scored once in three games and Didier Drogba failed to find the target when he was given a chance. With the bulk of the goals coming from Eden Hazard and Branislav Ivanovic, the fans will be pleased to see their 17-goal striker return.