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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho handed a two-match ban
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been given a two-match ban by UEFA for bringing the game into 'disrepute' and 'making false declarations.'
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 09:50 AM IST
Read Time:3 min
Nyon:
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been given a two-match ban by UEFA for bringing the game into "disrepute" and "making false declarations." He was also fined 20,000 Swiss francs (US$16,700; 12,900 Euros), while Chelsea received an added fine of 75,000 Swiss francs (US$62,600; 48,400 Euros). Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, club secretary Dave Barnard and Jim Thurman, a lawyer specialising in soccer charge cases, arrived in Nyon in Switzerland on Thursday to represent the London club at a UEFA hearing called after manager Jose Mourinho was charged with bringing the game into "disrepute" and "making false declarations." Chelsea, Mourinho, his assistant Steve Clarke and security official Les Miles were charged following the first leg of their Champions League tie in Barcelona, where they said Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard entered referee Anders Frisk's changing room during the half-time interval. Frisk abruptly retired a few days later, citing death threats - most from English fans. The Chelsea chairman, an American lawyer, was asked as he arrived what he expected the UEFA panel's decision to be. Asked whether he was hoping for a favourable outcome, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: "Let's not pre-judge the hearing, let's just see how it goes." UEFA could have gone as far as expelling Chelsea from the Champions League but, as it turned out, it appears that the London club managed to convince the panel that Clarke and Miles did not deliberately lie about seeing Rijkaard entering Frisk's dressing room, but were involved in a misunderstanding. The Mourinho ban will affect both legs of Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. Restrictions on Chelsea coach The Chelsea coach will not be allowed in the dressing room, the tunnel or the technical area, but he can watch the games from the stand. As for the fine - less than a day's pay for Mourinho - that was handed out for bringing the game into disrepute, understood to be his remarks about Frisk. Mourinho had suggested the outcome of the match, which Chelsea lost 2-1, was, what he called, an 'adulterated' result. Asked to comment afterwards, however, Bruce Buck struck a conciliatory note. "We think that the hearing was a full and fair hearing. We were able to make our points and make our statement and we were pleased with the proceedings. With respect to the situation generally the view of the club is that we would like to put this incident behind us. We are not likely to appeal though we would like to reserve that decision until we see the reasoning of the panel which we expect tomorrow," said Bruce Buck, chairman, Chelsea. Pressed further, the Chelsea chairman appeared to be hoping that the affair would now be laid to rest. "I think in large part it's been blown out of proportion but it was a serious matter and we're hoping to put it behind us," said Buck. The Chelsea chairman is thought to have ordered club officials to put an end to the whole conflict with UEFA. Later, Buck denied that the fine was paltry compared to the funds available to Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich. He would not say whether he had apologised to the panel for Chelsea's allegations about Frisk and Rijkaard, saying that Thursday's hearing was a confidential proceeding." (AP)Topics mentioned in this article
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