13 proves unlucky for Mourinho as he now faces another FA rap
JOSE MOURINHO received the 13th punishment of his managerial career after being sent off during half-time of Manchester United’s goalless draw with Burnley.
The controversial United manager now faces a second FA charge and a possible touchline or stadium ban after protesting to referee Mark Clattenburg in the tunnel over a penalty appeal when United defender Matteo Darmian was challenged by Burnley’s John Flanagan.
Mourinho was last week charged with misconduct following comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor prior to United’s game against Liverpool on October 17.
The high drama at Old Trafford yesterday saw Mourinho react wildly on the touchline after Darmian went down after 44 minutes and he continued to complain over the half-time period. After he’d been sent off, he tried to take a seat in the front row of the stand to be close to the dug-out before being sent further up, where he found a place on the edge of the directors’ box.
Mourinho was seen to pass notes to assistant Rui Faria during the second half but it failed to help United beat Burnley despite having 37 shots at goal. They were also reduced to 10 men after a red card shown to Ander Herrera.
The FA will now wait for Clattenburg’s report before deciding what action to take with 53-year-old Mourinho.
He failed to do any of the regular post-match media activities after the final whistle. In his place, Faria said: ‘I don’t know why he was sent off and I don’t think it was important. I think what is important is what the referee will write in his report. I can’t give you more details.’
Asked about their communication in the second half, he added: ‘To be fair we normally define situations according to the details of the match. Sometimes a detail is important.’ Mourinho’s career is littered with fines and bans. After arriving at Chelsea for his first spell in England in 2004, he was fined £5,000 the following January after claiming Sir Alex Ferguson had unduly influenced the referee during a League Cup semifinal. He was punished twice more the following month and given a two-match ban for comments following a Champions League defeat against Barcelona in which he accused referee Anders Fisk of fraternising with rival boss Frank Rijkaard at half-time.
He received a five-match ban with Real Madrid and during his second spell at Chelsea last season, was fined £50,000 and given a suspended stadium ban for comments he made after a defeat at Stoke, saying: ‘The FA don’t punish other managers, they punish me.’
On October 24 last year, he was sent to the stands at halftime during a match between Chelsea and West Ham.
This latest episode comes days after he complained about the loneliness of his life in Manchester.