Mourinho Angry With Latest Ban, Takes A Dig At FA
Dec 3, 2016 at 11:47 AM
Hurt by the Football Association’s (FA) latest punishment, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has said that he is being treated unfairly by the FA and has pleaded to be treated in the same manner as the others.
The Portuguese tactician, who has his fair share of run-ins with the FA in the past, was hit with a one-match touchline ban and £16,000 fine after being found guilty of breaking the code of conduct during United’s 1-1 draw against West Ham United. He was sent to the stands in the 27th minute after he kicked a water bottle on the touchline while expressing his frustration following referee Jonathan Moss’s decision to book Paul Pogba for diving.
And although he accepted the fine, he feels that other managers should receive the same treatment.
He said:“I would like the same rules for everyone. Let’s go back to the last one.
“I kick a bottle of water — I cannot do it. If I do it, it’s a sending off. After that there is a punishment.
“I accept that’s a sending off and I don’t say a word of complaint. But it has to be the same for every manager.”
The incident drew comparisons with the one that happened with Arsene Wenger during Arsenal’s game against Manchester United in 2009.The Arsenal boss was sent off for kicking a bottle but no further action was taken against him. In fact, he also received an apology from the referee chief.
Meanwhile, Mourinho will be back in the dugout for his team’s league game against Everton on Sunday after missing United’s 4-1 win over the Hammers in the EFL Cup earlier this week. The Red Devils are lying sixth in the table, eleven points shy of table-toppers Chelsea, but Mourinho is confident that the Old Trafford outfit has improved a lot compared to the last season when they finished fifth under Louis van Gaal.
Mourinho said: “It’s so different Manchester United from last season. What we want to do this season is so different.
“We could have probably had better results if we didn’t try to go in the opposite direction.
“But because we tried to go in a completely different direction in terms of the philosophy and in terms of the dynamic, it’s the most difficult thing in football.”