TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chelsea managed to score 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday. Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho claimed a campaign was being waged against him to prevent his team from winning.
He highlighted the yellow card given by referee Anthony Taylor to Cesc Fabregas for diving. "I think this is a result of something that looks like a campaign,” he said.
Chelsea have had the most yellow cards for diving so far this season, receiving four with Manchester City and Sunderland both having two.
"In other countries this is front-page news because it's an absolute scandal,” he said. "In the first match [against Burnley], Diego [Costa] was booked when it should have been a penalty and a red card for their player. A few months later, we lose two points in a match when the penalty is there and Fabregas gets a yellow card. We have had bad yellow cards.”
"After the game against West Ham [on Boxing Day], in a game that finished 2-0 and could have been four or five, Enner Valencia made a bad dive and all I hear at the end is an incident with Branislav Ivanovic. What is this?”
"I do not make campaigns and this is not against me -- this is against Chelsea. Against Chelsea, yes. In the last couple of weeks, the two most important things in my matches in my opinion: Filipe Luis and Eden Hazard could be now in hospital with broken legs. And people speak about Gary Cahill [diving] against Hull City."
Mourinho also said Chelsea rivals benefited from the biased referee. "You also forget other things -- Man City vs. Crystal Palace, goal is not offside and you don't speak a lot about it. Manchester United vs. Newcastle, there should be a penalty and a red card for [Juan] Mata, but you don't speak about it.”
"I don't know, I don't care. Chelsea is playing very well since the beginning of the season. That is the only thing I concentrate on. We are top of the league because we deserve it and it is a consequence of what we did. I am so happy with my players,” he said.
ESPN | NURDIN