Swansea City vs Chelsea: 'Chelsea face FA double standards,' says Jose Mourinho

'In relation to me and my club there are different standards,' he said

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho reacts on the touchline (Getty Images)

Jose Mourinho has renewed his attack on what he regards as the double standards in the Football Association’s disciplinary system, claiming that he and Chelsea are treated differently and that if he were to push a fellow manager on the touchline he would be subject to a stadium ban.

In October, Mourinho said that he would have been given a stadium ban had he shoved another manager in the way that Arsène Wenger did him during Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. This time, Mourinho did not mention Wenger by name but there was little doubt that the Chelsea manager is still smarting over the FA charge he faces for claiming there was a “campaign” against his club in the aftermath of the 1-1 draw at Southampton on 28 December.

Giving his first press conference since the charge was announced, Mourinho confessed that he was not in the “right condition” to speak at last week’s press conference at the club’s Cobham training ground and would only have got himself into deeper trouble with the FA. This time, he was generally supportive of referees, claiming that they needed to officiate “free, happy, [with] no pressure”.

Asked to explain what he meant by that, Mourinho, whose side travel to face Swansea City today, said decisions involving Chelsea created a bigger reaction than any other. He said: “I’ll tell you a good example. Was it a penalty in the game Stoke against Man United? The [Chris] Smalling handball. Everybody thinks so. Did you see big noise around it? I didn’t.

“Would you think such a penalty against Chelsea would have a reaction in the media and with managers in the same way as that reaction? I don’t think so. After that the reaction would be double or treble, so obviously a referee needs to feel free, relaxed and with no pressure, to do the best they can.

“With Chelsea the reactions are different. With me the reactions are different. Do you think if I push a manager in the technical area that I don’t have a stadium ban? I [would] have a stadium ban. So referees are not guilty, they want to do their best but clearly there are measures and there are ways of reacting. In relation to me and my club there are different standards. It’s as simple as that and you know that. You want me to tell but you know that.”

When it was pointed out to Mourinho that it was his response to events that often attracted the attention of the FA – such as his comments after Anthony Taylor’s failure to give Chelsea a penalty when Cesc Fabregas went down in the area against Southampton – he said that it was a natural consequence of having to speak to the media so soon after matches.

“When I have to go to two, three minutes after and do press a conference, unless I’m a guy with cold blood – and I admire if some are able to do that – I’m not able to [keep my counsel]. So I go there, I don’t insult people, I don’t question their integrity, I just say the same thing I told referee: ‘Anthony, it was a big penalty, you killed us.’ [Taylor says] ‘OK, I am sorry’. No problem.”

Cesc Fabregas was wrongly booked for diving against Southampton (Getty Images)

Mourinho called for greater help for referees, claiming that there was not a single official he had encountered who was not “upset” at making mistakes. He said that Kevin Friend and his officials were so pleased with their performance in Chelsea’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland in November that they were “hugging” each other as they went into their dressing room.

In his broadcast press conference, Mourinho had made a throwaway comment about Manchester City’s signing of Wilfried Bony this week, claiming that “the rules are different for them in certain aspects” – a nod towards Financial Fair Play.