Mourinho: Uefa have no case

Ian Simpson
Wednesday 23 March 2005 01:00 GMT
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The Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, expects the Uefa charges that his team lied about an incident during a Champions' League match in Barcelona to be dismissed, according to reports last night.

The Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, expects the Uefa charges that his team lied about an incident during a Champions' League match in Barcelona to be dismissed, according to reports last night.

The sport's European governing body charged Chelsea with bringing the game into disrepute on Monday, citing Mourinho, his assistant Steve Clarke and security official Les Miles.

"Obviously, I as well as other people involved, mainly the club, which is much more important than we are, have the expectation... of complete dismissal [of charges], complete dismissal," the coach told Portugal's SIC television, for whom he works as a part-time analyst. "My job is to train, to evaluate, to try to get the best results possible."

The row erupted after Chelsea accused the Barcelona coach, Frank Rijkaard, of speaking to referee Anders Frisk in his dressing-room at half-time in the Champions' League knockout round first-leg match in Spain last month.

Mourinho said lawyers had told him not to comment but added that he would not change his behaviour. "I have always been this way. Sincerely, I don't want to change and I want to finish up my career 12, 13 years from now at most, I want to finish it up this way.

"That is, to be loved by my own. And right now I am loved by the Chelsea fans and I don't worry hardly at all about other club's supporters," Mourinho said. "That's the way I am."

Chelsea, who led 1-0 at the time of the incident, went on to lose the game 2-1 after striker Didier Drogba was sent off. Mourinho sent his team out late for the second half and failed to attend the mandatory post-match news conference.

Robert Huth has told Chelsea he does not want to join Bayern Munich, or indeed any other club.

Chelsea looked in danger of losing the German defender when Bayern said they wanted to sign him. Huth's eagerness to stay indicates that even the players on the fringes of Mourinho's squad are happy to stay. He said: "I'm staying here, unless the club wants to get rid of me. It's not an issue, even if some people say it is."

Huth has made just two starting appearances and four as a substitute this season.

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