Mourinho criticises FA over Dier ban
TOTTENHAM Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho has criticised the Football Association’s decision to ban Eric Dier for four games over a confrontation with a fan in March.
Video footage of the incident during Tottenham’s defeat by Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round showed the England international climbing over seats to confront a home supporter before being restrained by security guards and other fans.
The FA banned Dier and fined him £40 000 on Wednesday.
“My feeling is that, in the majority of the cases, football is not protected by the people that is powerful and doesn’t belong to this world,” Mourinho said.
“They don’t have the know-how and it’s very, very difficult to lead something when you don’t have a clue about the world that you are leading.”
Dier told the FA he jumped into the crowd to protect his younger brother, who was involved in an altercation with the fan, but the FA did not accept that was the player’s sole intention, saying his actions were “clearly threatening”.
Mourinho added that the fan had apologised to Dier.
“I want fans back very, very much,” the Portuguese said. “Even that specific fan, especially because the fan had the opportunity to meet the player, to apologise to the player, to understand that we are very well paid but we are not robots.
“It was a good opportunity for that fan to turn his profile and become a different fan.”
Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah scored twice as champions Liverpool moved on to 92 points with a 3-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Wednesday.
Liverpool were 2-0 up within eight minutes after Brighton paid heavily for sloppy work in their attempt to play the ball out from the back.
Naby Keita robbed Davy Propper and slipped the ball to Salah who confidently drove home to open the scoring in the sixth minute.
Two minutes later and Brighton were caught out again by Liverpool’s pressing, this time Salah setting up Jordan Henderson who finished with a perfect drive.
Graham Potter’s 15th-placed team pulled a goal back on the stroke of halftime with Leandro Trossard sweeping home a first-time shot after a pinpoint cross from Tariq Lamptey.
Egyptian Salah wrapped up the win, Liverpool’s 30th in their 34th game of the season, with a superbly angled near post header from an in-swinging Andy Robertson corner.