The FA claimed they had no choice other than to threaten Jose Mourinho with a stadium ban after fining him failed to stop him breaking their rules on media comments.
Mourinho was hit with a £50,000 fine and suspended one-match stadium ban after criticising the officials, including referee Robert Madley, after he failed to award Chelsea a penalty in
their 3-1 home defeat by Southampton.
their 3-1 home defeat by Southampton.
Mourinho and Chelsea were fuming at his punishment – with the Special One labelling his fine “an absolute disgrace” and angry at the prospect of the stadium ban – and he vowed to appeal.
But, explaining the decision in the FA regulatory commission’s written reasons, they ruled Mourinho launched a “plain attack on the integrity of the referee” by saying “be honest with us and give what you have, and it’s a big penalty” in one of his post-match interviews.
The commission viewed that as Mourinho suggesting Madley “had made a decision which he had not honestly believed was correct.”
Mourinho had also been fined £8,000 and £25,000 for two previous breaches of FA rules regarding media comments since his return to Chelsea.
Justifying the commissions decision to add the suspended stadium ban on this time, the FA said: “It appears to us that increasing levels of fine are not on their own going to be a reliable deterrent for Mr Mourinho against improper comments to the media.
“In our judgment the fair way to impose this deterrent is to suspend the ban so that Mr Mourinho is able quite easily to avoid its ever coming into effect. The matter is in his hands.
“All he has to do is refrain from any further breach by media comments for the next 12 months, whereupon the ban will expire completely.”
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