The FA seem mighty mouthy over Mourinho
HAS the FA got nothing better to do than continuing their victimisation of Jose Mourinho?
The United boss successfully appealed his recent improper conduct charge of using ‘foul and/ or abusive language’ and now the FA has appealed the Independent Regulatory Commission’s decision.
That, in spite of the written reasons revealing that Pedro Xavier, the FA’s ‘expert in the translation and interpretation of lip reading of colloquial Portuguese language’ provided a ‘contradictory report’.
The three-man panel accepted Mourinho’s own language representative Simao Valente’s opinion that the ‘contextual translation of “**** yeah” or “hell yeah” was the most accurate’. United had just clinched a 3-2 comeback victory over Newcastle in stoppagetime when a pitchside camera homed in for Mourinho’s close-up.
Swearing is commonplace in football. Commentators tend to apologise for such industrial language caught by mics when there is no need.
You feared for Mourinho when he stepped onto the Stamford Bridge pitch to pat Anthony Martial on the back three weeks ago. The fourth official, Craig Pawson, was the referee who dismissed Mourinho at Southampton last season for overzealously crossing the line to clap Ander Herrera as he chased down Mario Lemina. That cliche about referees not understanding the game is usually irrelevant but was relevant at St Mary’s.
If you didn’t catch it at the time on Match of the Day 2 it is worth watching Gordon Strachan’s commentary over Arsene Wenger’s water bottle incident at Old Trafford in 2009.
Wenger took a casual swipe at a nearby water bottle and the fourth official Lee Probert wagged his finger, pointed at the prostrate victim, called over Mike Dean and informed him of the heinous crime.
“He’s kicked a plastic bottle away. You kicked it away over there. We’re sending you off for that. I’m telling my mate the referee,” Strachan deadpans. He ends his narration with the words ‘ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous’.
“It has to be the same for every manager,” Mourinho said after he punted a bottle against West Ham nearly two years ago. “It has to be the same.”
Wenger received an apology whereas the United manager copped a suspended touchline ban.
The FA’s three-man panel claimed Mourinho had ‘aggressively kicked the bottle in a manner that could have endangered people’.
Kudos to Ifeanyi Odogwu, Mick Kearns and Bradley Pritchard, who were unmoved by Mourinho’s mouthing against Newcastle. Only the FA were. They have nothing better to do.