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Mourinho accuses FA of favoring top clubs

By on February 10, 2014

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has accused the English FA of favoring top clubs after Yaya Toure escaped a three match ban despite appearing to kick Norwich City’s Ricky van Wolfswinkel during Manchester City’s 0-0 draw away at Carrow Road last weekend.  Toure appeared to have a slight go at Wolfswinkel with a sneaky little kick during the draw, but while a newly formed video panel sidelining West Ham United’s Andy Carroll with a three match ban Toure was spared the punishment.

The incident was missed by referee Jon Moss, and therefore sent to the three-man panel, in it’s pilot season, which normally consists of three former referees Steve Dunn, Alan Wiley and Eddie Wolstenholme.  Surprisingly, the panel was in unanimous agreement with the decision to not impress the ban on Toure.  However there seems to be no remaining issues between Toure and Van Wolfswinkel, who Tweeted: “Good to see Toure not getting suspended. Players like him belong on the pitch!”

Yet Mourinho is not impressed with the decision, which will mean Toure can face his Chelsea side in the FA Cup on Saturday, saying itis showing the FA’s favoritism towards the top English clubs. “I don’t understand why you say ‘if’? If he’s not suspended, the message is clear: the players can do what they want if the referee doesn’t see,” the 51-year-old said.  “The message is normally that, if the FA defends football, he’d have to be suspended.

“Of course I would be disappointed if he is not punished. If he is not, it has to be the same for everyone: if the referee doesn’t see, a player can do whatever he wants. It doesn’t matter about cameras or others seeing, I can do whatever I want. If they make the rule that action can be taken if a referee has missed something, they have to apply that rule.”

A West Ham insider has also reportedly agreed with Mourinho’s statement, saying: “It does seem that the big five or six clubs get treated differently to the rest of us, by both the refs and the football authorities.”

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.