Mourinho is in clear after rap

JOSE MOURINHO has avoided a possible touchline ban after the Manchester United manager was cleared of using foul language.

United rallied from two goals down against Newcastle earlier this month to secure a memorable 3-2 win at Old Trafford under the cloud of a report that the manager would be sacked regardless of the outcome of that Premier League encounter.

Such talk seemingly led to tensions boiling over at full-time, with footage appearing to show Mourinho making comments in Portuguese, at one point looking into a camera, as he headed towards the tunnel after the final whistle.

United vigorously contested the subsequent FA charge for using abusive, insulting or improper language, and an Independent Regulatory Commission decided against sanctioning the manager after a hearing on Wednesday.

A statement from the FA said: “A charge against Jose Mourinho for allegedly using language which was abusive and/or insulting and/or improper has been found not proven following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing.”

But the FA’S disciplinary department is understood to be surprised by the outcome and will await the full written reasons when considering whether to appeal.

The written reasons as to how the judicial panel members reached their decision is likely to be published next week.