Reuters/London
Jose Mourinho regrets using the word ‘campaign’ to describe how he felt Chelsea were treated this season but still believes they were harshly treated by officials and media, British newspapers reported yesterday.
Despite Chelsea having cantered to the Premier League title—leading second-placed Manchester City by eight points with one match remaining—Mourinho suggested on several occasions this term that there was a clear campaign against his side.
“We had lots of mistakes against us. That’s the reality but that’s football. Maybe ‘campaign’ is not a nice word. Maybe I would take that word out from my explanation and my comments, but that’s the reality,” he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
In January, Mourinho was fined 25,000 pounds ($38,000) by the Football Association (FA) for suggesting there was a campaign to influence referees’ decisions against Chelsea.
Mourinho was talking specifically about an incident in which midfielder Cesc Fabregas was not given a penalty against Southampton and instead was booked for diving.
The Portuguese coach was also incensed in February by a Sky Sports News feature headlined ‘Costa Crimes’ in relation to the alleged misdemeanors of Chelsea’s Spain forward Diego Costa and accused the broadcaster of partiality.
Although 52-year-old Mourinho regretted using the word ‘campaign’, he nevertheless repeated the assertion that his side were harshly dealt with this season.
“I’m not the kind of person to regret, what you did you did. What happened, happened. You cannot change things. Time does not go back,” he said. “We had very bad decisions over a big period of time. But I also made bad decisions, so no problem.
“The word ‘campaign’ was even the subject of punishment because the word was strong. My feeling was that we had lots of mistakes against us, that punished us in crucial matches in a crucial period—November, December, January.
“I would take the word ‘campaign’ (out) if the same happened next season. It would be out of my vocabulary. But that feeling is clear. We had lots of decisions against us.”
Mourinho’s Chelsea will be presented with the Premier League trophy after their home game against Sunderland today.
The Blues will be presented with the trophy after the match at Stamford Bridge and will parade it, together with the League Cup, through west London tomorrow.
“The motivation is to be the champions for us, and for them it’s not to be relegated,” Mourinho said. “We are already celebrating our title. They are already celebrating these last fantastic weeks they have had with good results.
“We are over—probably them too—with celebrations.
“Now there is a last match. Obviously we want to win. I also believe they want to win. That’s normal.”
Mourinho, in his second spell as Chelsea manager, said it was becoming ever harder to secure a top-four finish and Champions League qualification, let alone win the title.
“The most important thing I learnt was last season, when I realised that after being away from England for a few years—five, three in Madrid, two at Inter—was to realise it’s more dangerous to be a contender,” he explained.
“It’s more dangerous to be a title-contender manager because you start the season and you don’t know what is waiting for you,” the Portuguese boss added.
“You can be champions, you can qualify for the Champions League, you can even be out of Champions League, out of the top four, because at this moment in England there’s five, six teams from the top who are really strong.”
JOSE MOURINHO
