 |
Jose Mourinho may be fired if he fails to beat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool  |
JOSE MOURINHO could be banned from the dugout for the most important match of his Chelsea career on Saturday against Liverpool.
The latest devastating blow to the Chelsea manager came last night as he was charged with misconduct by the Football Association after being sent off at half-time in his team's 2-1 defeat at West Ham last Saturday.
Mourinho's whole future at Chelsea could hang on the result against Liverpool, with the Chelsea board already hugely concerned about the club's image and this latest charge yet another black mark against him.
The Portuguese, whose team have lost five of their opening 10 matches in the club's worst start to a Premier League season, will only be able to communicate with his bench via a runner or the phone if the ban comes into force against Jurgen Klopp's team at Stamford Bridge.
It emerged last night that Mourinho swore at referee Jonathan Moss at half-time at Upton Park - and then refused to leave the official's dressing room when requested after first being invited in.
Moss had disallowed a Cesc Fabregas goal for offside, ruled out a Kurt Zouma effort for not crossing the line, sent off midfielder Nemanja Matic for two yellow cards and dismissed assistant manager Silvino Louro from the bench for haranguing the fourth official.
Chelsea have until 6pm on Thursday to reply to the charge, which will then go before a Disciplinary Commission, who can enforce a ban or a fine.
 |
| Mourinho was infuriated by the decision to send off Nemanja Matic |
It is possible there will not be a verdict until after the weekend, in which case it would come into force when Chelsea visit Stoke a week on Saturday. However the FA last night said it could be as early as Friday, in which case the ban would be for the Liverpool clash.
Louro could also be hit by a ban while Chelsea and West Ham both now face a £25,000 fine for failing to control their players.
The FA statement said: "Jose Mourinho has been charged with misconduct in relation to his language and/or behaviour towards the match officials in or around the dressing room area at half-time."
Mourinho already has a £50,000 FA fine and suspended one-game stadium ban hanging over him for saying referees are "afraid" to award penalties to Chelsea after the defeat by Southampton three weeks ago. He is appealing against those verdicts, but that suspended ban is not affected by this latest charge.
The Chelsea manager has been hit with £101,000 worth of fines since returning to the club for his second spell as manager in 2013.
Although the club, who issued a public statement of support for Mourinho after the Southampton defeat, are standing by him at the moment, the Portuguese has been warned that results have to improve.
But it is events off the field, and the almost constant battles with the FA, that the Chelsea board feel are now seriously damaging the club's image.
Mourinho, who only signed a new £30m four-year deal just before the start of the season, still retains support among some sections of the heirarchy, but others are worried. Blues owner Roman Abramovich though faces a major battle to get Carlo Ancelotti to Chelsea to replace Mourinho if he does decide to make a managerial change.
Abramovich has placed Ancelotti at the top of his potential list of replacements for Mourinho if he cannot turn the club's results around.
But Ancelotti, 56, has told friends he does not fancy a return to Stamford Bridge, where he was sacked in 2011 just a year after winning the Premier League and FA Cup double.
At the very least Ancelotti would want a long-term contract, with a big financial package attached.
The other potential replacement - Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who led the club to the FA Cup in 2009 - is also out of work, and the 68-year-old is keen to come back on a short-term deal.
Pep Guardiola of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone would then be targets in the summer.
Post a Comment Blogger Facebook Disqus