Jose Mourinho to fight fine attacked as ‘disgrace’

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. Picture: PA

Mourinho was sanctioned for comments made after the defeat by Southampton in October when he said referee Robert Madeley was “afraid” to give the Blues a penalty.

Mourinho yesterday confirmed he had received the FA’s written reasons and will appeal. “I have to be honest with myself. It’s the most important thing, so I have to appeal,” Mourinho said.

“The moment we got the written reasons and I decided to appeal is the moment to stop with my opinions and not to add anything more than I did already.”

Mourinho on Thursday night addressed the sanction, which was announced by the FA on Wednesday.

“Every word I say is a big risk for me,” he said on Thursday. “I am happy that I don’t have an electronic tag. I think it’s not far from (that).

“I also think that £50,000 in the world where we live today is an absolute disgrace. ”

The stadium ban will be imposed if Mourinho speaks out of turn in the next 12 months, but it is understood the FA is unlikely to pursue Thursday night’s comments.

Mourinho has previously spoken of a wish to manage England. In responding to a question on whether that possibility remains, Mourinho could not resist aiming another dig at Arsene Wenger.

The Arsenal manager went unpunished for calling referee Mike Dean “weak” and “naive”.

Mourinho said: “Maybe I am naive – and I know that ‘naive’, I can use that word –but, for me,  English football, English football fans, the English passion for the game, what makes me like so much this country and the football in this country – is not the FA,” Mourinho said