José Mourinho has suggested he would have been heavily sanctioned by the game’s authorities had he shoved a rival coach as Arsène Wenger pushed him at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.
The Chelsea manager also sarcastically claimed he has "a lot to learn about how to behave" from Paul Lambert and Roy Keane after their recent criticisms.
While the Aston Villa staff’s frustration was due to Mourinho’s attempts to shake their hands before the final whistle as the London club prevailed 3-0 last month, the incident with Wenger drew the focus during the first half of the recent derby win over Arsenal.
Wenger had been enraged by Gary Cahill’s foul on Alexis Sanchez in front of the home dugout and walked down the touchline, apparently to check on his player, only for Mourinho to bar entry into the Chelsea technical area.
No further sanction
The Frenchman pushed the Portuguese in the chest, and raised his hands again in the confusion which followed.
The incident had been observed at the time by the officials, who deemed no further sanction necessary and therefore, effectively, ensured the English FA would not impose retrospective action.
The Chelsea manager was fined three times last season by the FA – for his manner on the touchline against Cardiff and Aston Villa, and for his sarcastic appraisal of the officials following a loss to Sunderland. Yet he hinted at double standards when it came to dealing with the incident with Wenger.
“No, I’m not surprised [Wenger was not charged], not surprised,” said Mourinho, who was then asked if he would expect to have been charged had he committed the same offence. “Charged?” he replied. “For me [it would have been] a stadium ban.”
Keane and Lambert were more unimpressed with his eagerness to shake their hands early, branding the action “disgraceful” and “disrespectful”.
“I don’t know if [Keane] really feels it, or if he wants to sell books and needs my help for that,” said Mourinho.
“But I know my nature, I know my intentions. From people like him and his boss, I think I have a lot to learn about how to behave and I appreciate the comment. They are both two great examples of polite and very well-educated people . . . I appreciate the comments.” Guardian Service
