REFEREES UNDER THE COSH

Last updated : 13 September 2004 By editor

'Jose Mourinho is set to be hit with an FA disrepute charge today,' reports The Sun.

On a weekend when Premiership referees lost the plot, Mourinho claimed officials are bending over backwards for Manchester United and Arsenal — and ganging up on Chelsea.

And Fulham boss Chris Coleman branded Mark Halsey ‘crap’ after the ref reversed a penalty decision following protests from Arsenal players.

An FA spokesman said last night: "We will be giving due consideration to the comments made by both managers."

Mourinho snapped when Drogba was denied a penalty and instead was booked for diving:

"It was so obvious two penalties should have been given. It was ridiculous. If that had been Ruud van Nistelrooy or Thierry Henry that would have been a penalty." He couldn't have watched many of our games last season when at least five or six stonewall penalty decisions went against us.

Still the gobby upstart wasn't finished yet, the man who says he doesn't care about us seems to be paying a lot of attention to what happens at our games:

"I watched Blackburn versus Manchester United. The referee signals three minutes then four minutes and United score."

Coleman decided to concentrate on the opposition of the day:

"Arsenal are on one hell of a run and it takes a brave man to make a decision that ends that run. I’ll probably get into trouble for saying that but I couldn’t give a monkey’s to be honest."