The "Special One" Not So Special After All

Last updated : 08 May 2006 By Footy Mad - Editor


Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho - who watched his side suffer back-to-back league defeats for the first time - was furious at referee Mike Riley's performance at St James' Park, after feeling his side had suffered at the hands of Steve Bennett in their defeat at Blackburn in midweek.

He was particularly angry with the official's decision only to book Celestine Babayaro for a cynical trip on Arjen Robben, as well as rejecting a penalty shout against substitute Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Mourinho: "Newcastle did this game, Chelsea did this game and the referee did not do what he should do. Babayaro is a red card in every country, in every division on every pitch; Boumsong is a penalty in every country, in every division, on every pitch.

"A clear penalty, a clear red card, at Blackburn two penalties - people cannot think because you are champions, you don't deserve respect or because you are champions, you don't want to win.

"Because I came with a team full of young boys and without the stars, if you want to say that, it doesn't mean you don't want to win. You want to play a game, you want to have the same chance as the opponents.

"We are not guilty that Blackburn needed a victory to go to the UEFA; we are not guilty that Newcastle needed a victory to go to the Intertoto. We are not guilty of that. We just want to play a normal game of football, and these two matches were not normal games of football.

"Babayaro's challenge on Robben? Robben is a lucky boy. He's a very lucky boy to to be going to the World Cup. Achilles is the worst injury you can have, and the way he was tackled from behind, he's a lucky boy, a very lucky boy."