The Football Association has begun its latest offensive against Jose Mourinho by saying his well publicised comments about Arsenal’s David Dein were, “Unnecessary, unhelpful, bad for image of game and inaccurate.”
Now there’s a surprise.
Chelsea back Jose Mourinho · Update
Official Chelsea FC statement:
Chelsea has seen the statements issued by the Football Association and the Premier League today in response to comments made by Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea is very aware of its responsibilities to uphold the image of the game and does not want to get involved in conflict with either the FA or the Premier League, neither does Jose. Any concerns we might have over issues of governance within football, or other topics of debate, will be communicated through the appropriate channels.
Our observation on the fixtures issue is purely a factual one, that we have five away matches in the Premiership following the Champions League group games.
Over recent months there has been a series of critical comments from Arsenal about key individuals at Chelsea and the club as a whole. These were not isolated incidents. Like any club, Chelsea believes it is entitled to defend itself publicly against such criticisms, when appropriate, and is fully supportive of Jose Mourinho when he does so.
Related links:
- Chelsea stand firm in face of criticism from rivals
- Chelsea support Mourinho attack despite FA anger
- Bored of the nonsense
- Mourinho wants compromise
- War of the Words
Mourinho remains unrepentant · Update
Jose Mourinho remains unrepentant over the comments which have brought him into conflict with football’s governing bodies but concedes he must begin to act with a little more diplomacy.
“I’m under no pressure to be gagged. I talk facts,” he said.
“Facts aren’t controversy. Opinion can make controversy and yes I’ll have to cool down and think twice before I say something. But facts are facts and no punishment can come from that.
“I have to think about football, not just my football but English football because this is where I work.
“Facts are facts. The only thing I’m prepared to say is Chelsea play away for five matches after the Champions League while Arsenal are at home.
“I don’t see it as the world against Chelsea. I don’t believe we were unpopular last season. We now have more than double the fans we had. I’m very happy with what we’ve done.”
