Following his FA charge of improper conduct, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed he will contest the charge.
Mourinho was charged after he walked onto the pitch to speak with referee Chris Foy towards the end of Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa last Saturday. Mourinho was then sent to the stands, as his side lost the plot late on with red cards handed to Willian and Ramires.
“I have to do it respond and Monday and do it privately. For the obvious reasons I will not accept the charges.”
The 51-year-old Portuguese boss has until Monday March 24 at 6 p.m. GMT to appeal the charge. If Mourinho does go through with the appeal and is found guilty of improper conduct, he runs the risk of having his ban increased.
After the game Mourinho stayed tight-lipped when asked about the decision to send him off, watch the video above, as Chelsea’s manager was wary that a ban could be heading his way. However that did not stop Mourinho criticizing Foy, as he claimed many of the coaching staff were on the pitch and he wanted to talk with Foy about Villa substitute Gabriel Agbonlahor pushing Ramires after he was sent off for a horrendous tackle just in front of both teams benches.
With the “he said, she said” debate set to rumble on, Mourinho is sticking by his guns and fighting for what he believes in. You have to admire that, but encroaching onto the field of play, even just seconds after many of the other members of the coaching staff had been on the field, should not be tolerated, and Mourinho could be about to get a bigger ban or punishment that he should’ve got.