Manchester United manager, José Mourinho, has been charged with improper conduct for his comments on the referee ahead of his side’s game against Liverpool last week. The Football Association stated on their official website that the Portuguese would have until 6pm on Monday, October 31 to respond.
Mourinho has been hit with this charge for giving his opinion on referee Anthony Taylor officiating the game between Liverpool and United at Anfield on October 17. Taylor was born in Manchester and lives only a few miles away from Old Trafford. His ability to be unbiased was therefore brought into question. This is despite him being a fan of Altrincham F.C., as noted here by Daniel Taylor from The Guardian.
When asked about it before the match, the Manchester United manager said:
I think Mr Taylor is a very good referee but because such pressure is being put on him I think it will be difficult for him to have a very good performance at Anfield. I don’t really want to say too much more on the matter. I have my view but I have learned a lesson, if you want to call it that, by being punished so many times for my words about referees.
Despite seemingly having been diplomatic enough, Mourinho hasn’t got away with it. To quote the statement from the FA, his comments , “were improper and/or brought the game into disrepute contrary to FA Rule E3(1).” The Association has been cracking down on any comments that have been suggestive or that can be seen as influential in any way.
Mourinho’s United progressed to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup after beating neighbors and fierce rivals Manchester City last night. The 53-year-old dedicated the victory to the fans, who had endured a 4-0 thrashing by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The FA charge is an unnecessary headache that has arrived on the scene, when United are looking to get their season back on track. While Mourinho should be wise enough to refrain from reacting too much, the media hype will be inescapable.
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