Mourinho Calls FA's �50,000 Fine An 'Absolute Disgrace'

Jose Mourinho has reacted angrily to his latest punishment from the Football Association, claiming he was relieved not to be given an electronic tag to wear.

Mourinho branded his £50,000 fine and suspended stadium ban an 'absolute disgrace' and complained that he was treated like a criminal while Arsene Wenger could do as he pleased.

Wenger escaped when he called referee Mike Dean 'weak and naïve' while Mourinho's was charged for saying the officials were 'afraid' to award his team a penalty in the defeat against Southampton.

The Chelsea boss also reminded everyone that Wenger was not even punished for pushing him in the chest during Arsenal's defeat at Stamford Bridge last season.

'I am happy I don't have an electronic tag,' said Mourinho. 'I also think that £50,000 in the world where we live today is an absolute disgrace. An absolute disgrace. And I also think that the possibility of getting a stadium ban is also something absolutely astonishing.

'More difficult for me to understand is when I compare different people with similar behaviour and similar words.

'I know my English is not perfect - just good enough to work in this country - but the difference between "afraid" and "weak and naive" is £50,000 and a one-match stadium ban.

'So, now we know. One, we can push people in the technical area, no problem. The word 'afraid' is a hard punishment. But to say the referee was 'weak and naive', referring to one of the top referees in Europe, we can do.

'The only good thing of this last decision by the FA is that every manager in this country can write in a little book and, when he goes to the press conference, he knows that "afraid" costs £50,000. "Weak and naïve", you can use.

'And that words are more important than aggression in this country. It's good for everyone and it's the only reason I can still walk in London without an electronic tag.'

The outburst, which isn’t expected to trigger the FA ban, came at the launch of his book 'Mourinho', in London on Thursday night.

He also rejected theories that his Chelsea players were in mutiny against his leadership, summoning the words of various senior players who have spoken in support in the last week, including John Terry, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.