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Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho resumed his hostility towards referees and his Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger after his team’s 0-0 draw at Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Portuguese was fined A?50,000 ($77,000, 68,000 euros) by England’s Football Association and given a suspended one-game stadium ban for saying a referee had been “afraid” to give his side a penalty during their recent 3-1 loss at home to Southampton. But the suspended ban does not extend to European competition, enabling Mourinho to return to the theme after referee Damir Skomina denied Cesc Fabregas a spot-kick during the first half of the Group G game in Kiev. Echoing recent remarks by Wenger — for which the Frenchman avoided punishment by the FA — Mourinho told British television channel BT Sport: “The referee was weak and naive. Big penalty. I cannot understand what the goal referee does, because he doesn’t make a clear decision, too. And when the result is 0-0 and such a penalty is not given, it is a crucial moment in the game.” As Mourinho dragged Wenger’s name into the conversation, the Arsenal manager was over 2,000 kilometres away in London, celebrating his team’s 2-0 win over Bayern Munich. Mourinho was referring to Wenger’s comments that referee Mike Dean had been “weak” and “naive” for sending off Arsenal defender Gabriel during the north London club’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea last month. Gabriel’s red card, which he received for flicking out a foot at Chelsea striker Diego Costa, was subsequently rescinded by the FA on appeal. Tuesday’s result left Chelsea in third place in Group G, a point below Dynamo and three points behind leaders Porto. By AFP |
