Barcelona are threatening to report Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho to UEFA after the Portuguese insinuated that the Catalan giants receive favourable treatment from referees and claimed the club had yet to win a 'clean' Champions League title under Pep Guardiola.
Barca's legal department are studying Mourinho's post-match press conference in which the outspoken Madrid boss vented his fury after seeing his side lose 2-0 to their great rivals in the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Bernabeu.
Sent to the stands: Mourinho was dismissed from the touchline during the ill-tempered semi-final clash
Mourinho's anger stemmed from the decision of German referee Wolfgang Stark to send off Pepe for a foul on Dani Alves on the hour mark, with the former Chelsea boss being sent to the stands too for his protests.
Mourinho said: 'Guardiola is a fantastic coach, but he has won one Champions League which I would be ashamed to win after the scandal at Stamford Bridge and this year, if he wins it again, it will be after the scandal at the Bernabeu.
'I hope that one day he will win a clean Champions League, with no incidents behind it.'
Is that the way to Wembley? Barca are favourites for the final after Messi scored both goals in their 2-0 win
The first 'scandal' Mourinho was referring to was the Champions League semi-final between Barca and Chelsea in 2009, when the Catalan club progressed through to the final following a controversial second leg in London.
Andres Iniesta's injury-time strike earned Barca an away-goals win, but at the final whistle Chelsea's players confronted referee Tom Ovrebo, who had waved away at least four penalty appeals during the game. Barca would go on to beat Manchester United in the final.
Mourinho, who last season saw his Inter Milan side reduced to 10 men in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final at Barca but still progressed through to the final, did not stop there either in his post-match rant last night.
Seeing red: Pepe was sent off in the second-half for a rash tackle on Dani Alves
He added: 'Today it's clear that against Barcelona you have no chance. 'I don't understand why. I don't know if it's the publicity of UNICEF (the club's shirt sponsor), I don't know if it's the friendship of (Spanish football federation president Angel Maria) Villar at UEFA, where he is vice-president, I don't know if it's because they are very nice, but they have got this power. The rest of us have no chance.
'Why couldn't Chelsea reach the final two years ago? It was a miracle that Inter reached the final last year.
'I am here just to ask this question and I hope to get the answer one day.'
Thumbs up: The Real Madrid manager sarcastically gestures to the referee after being sent to the stands
Regarding the match itself, which saw Lionel Messi score two late goals to earn Barca the victory, Mourinho believes it is now 'mission impossible' for his side to progress through to the final.
However, Barca boss Guardiola is not assuming the tie is already over heading into next week's second leg at the Nou Camp.
'We are a step away from the final, but we will carry on respecting Madrid, very, very much,' said Guardiola, who refused to respond to questions about Mourinho's comments.
'If we start to believe we are already through, Madrid can punish us. We don't believe we are already there (Wembley).'
Source: Daily Mail
Source: Daily Mail