More controversy for Mourinho as he calls foul on Matic ‘criminal’

José Mourinho made an extraordinary appearance on television yesterday morning in which he accused Burnley's Ashley Barnes of a "criminal" tackle on Nemanja Matic and turned his fire on refereeing standards and media coverage.

Chelsea's manager had little to say on Saturday after the 1-1 draw to Burnley, simply listing key moments in the match, but appearing at his own request on Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday programme he railed for 27 minutes against perceived injustices and claimed:

Barnes had perpetrated a “criminal” tackle on Matic;

Burnley should have been down to 10 men and Chelsea should have received two penalties by half-time;

Diego Costa in particular is being unfairly targeted by the media;

Video technology should be introduced to help referees.

Matic was sent off for retaliating to a dangerous challenge by Barnes and Mourinho was outraged that the Burnley player received only a yellow.

He said Matic’s reaction was understandable because the tackle by Barnes could have ended the Serb’s career and yesterday evening Chelsea said they would be appealing against the red card.

He expanded on the theme to castigate Sky Sports again for its coverage of Diego Costa’s stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can last month, for which the Chelsea striker received a retrospective three-game ban.

The channel repeatedly showed that incident under the strapline “Costa’s crimes”.

‘Diego crimes’

“When I finished at the game against

Liverpool

, I went to the dressing room and the first thing I saw on the big screen, reading non-stop – ‘Diego Costa crimes’,” he said.

“I would like to know how you, Sky Sports, describe the actions of the Burnley player yesterday? My English is not good enough to find a word. When you think ‘Diego crimes’ after he puts his boot on a hand, when this is ‘Diego crimes’, the minimum you have to say is ‘criminal tackle’. Did you apologise to Chelsea, to Diego or myself? You didn’t.

"As an institution, Sky is so important in the Premier League, you never apologise. When Diego Costa has a three-match ban, probably three matches to Matic . . . tell me how many matches this player deserves?"

Mourinho was fined £25,000 by the FA in January for suggesting there was a “campaign” in the media against Chelsea but he maintained his attack yesterday. “I don’t like the fact you start immediately, in that moment, the public judgment of the player,” he added of the Costa coverage.

“You gave no space to the people that have to decide, the pressure was so much. You don’t do this with every club, with every player.

“I can’t find the word to describe what that player [Barnes] did. I can clearly understand that football is about emotions and sometimes you lose emotions. Clearly Matic had a reason to lose his emotions. What could be the consequence of his push for the other player? Nothing. The consequence for Matic could be end of career.”

He also said Barnes should have been sent off for a challenge on Branislav Ivanovic before the one on Matic. But he said he did not doubt the integrity of referee Martin Atkinson.

“I can’t imagine that the four incidents of this game are open to interpretation,” he claimed. “It is what it is. I think if you say it in a way where you go over the line with your comments, I think it’s understandable, but if you just say what is obvious, without attacking the integrity of the people, if you’re . . . objective in your comments then it shouldn’t be a problem.” Guardian Service