Football Association releases written reasons for Jose Mourinho fine



Mourinho was last week sanctioned for saying referee Robert Madeley had been "afraid" to award a penalty in Chelsea's 3-1 loss to Southampton on October 3.

The FA on Monday published the independent regulatory commission's written reasons for the punishments, which Mourinho last week said he would appeal against.

Mourinho did not attend a hearing, instead representing himself in writing

He admitted the charge, but denied questioning the integrity of Madeley.

The three-man panel rejected that assertion and also threw out Mourinho's comments on English not being his first language.

"His English is far too sophisticated for that to affect our conclusion, as the interviews themselves demonstrate," the written reasons said.

Mourinho has consistently bemoaned the perceived inconsistency between his calling Madeley "afraid" and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's criticism of referee Mike Dean as "weak" and "naive", which went unpunished.

The Chelsea boss made the point among his mitigating factors

The point was again dismissed.

"Mr Mourinho's comments in this case were so clearly on the wrong side of the line that there is no need to go into this issue at all

It is no mitigation for Mr Mourinho," the three-man panel said.

Mourinho pointed to the breach of rule E3 of improper conduct by five other Premier League managers.

The panel said it was not possible for those comments to be taken into account as each case has its own merits.

The penalties imposed on Mourinho, who last week described the fine as a "disgrace" and the prospect of a stadium ban as "absolutely astonishing", were also defended.

"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," the written reasons added.

"We have in mind particularly that the more than doubling of the January 2015 fine as compared with the May 2014 fine has not deterred him from this latest and more serious breach.

"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.

"We consider a (suspended) stadium ban and not just a touchline ban to be the right order.

"This was not an offence committed in the course of a game or on or by the field of play.

"The nature of this offence - and the further offence he would have to have committed if the ban is ever to have effect - makes a stadium ban the appropriate form."

Source : PA

Source: PA