Jose Mourinho given touchline ban and fine

Manchester United boss given touchline ban and fine.

MANCHESTER United manager Jose Mourinho has been banned for one match and fined £58,000 for two separate offences.

The Portuguese was sent to the stands by referee Mark Clattenburg for an incident “in or around the tunnel area during half-time” of Saturday’s goalless draw with Burnley.

He will serve a touchline ban for the game against Swansea on Sunday and will have to pay an £8,000 fine.

He was also fined £50,000 for comments he made about referee Anthony Taylor.

The United boss said it would be “difficult” for Taylor to officiate their game with Liverpool prior to the match at Anfield on 17 October.

Managers are not supposed to speak about referees prior to matches, but Mourinho added that appointing Taylor for the Liverpool match had put “pressure” on the Manchester-based official.

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An FA statement said Mourinho accepted that the comments “constituted improper conduct, but denied they brought the game into disrepute”.

However, an independent regulatory commission “found the disrepute element of the charge proven and as well as being fined, Mourinho was warned as to his future conduct”.

Mourinho “admitted using abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official and accepted the standard penalty”, following the incident against Burnley on 29 October,

Mourinho appeared to be upset when United were not awarded a penalty during Saturday’s match, after Jon Flanagan challenged Matteo Darmian inside the Burnley box.

The 53-year-old emerged for the second half during the match but was escorted to a seat in the stands before being moved a second time, this time to the directors’ box. He declined to speak to the media after the match.

Last season when he was in charge of Chelsea, Mourinho was given a one-match stadium ban and fined £40,000 in November 2015 after he was sent to the stands after going to speak to referee Jon Moss in his room at half-time.

He was also fined £50,000 for saying that referees were afraid to award penalties against his side after the Blues were beaten 3-1 by Southampton in October 2015.

Analysis

BBC Radio 5 live football pundit and ex-Republic of Ireland captain Andy Townsend

With Jose’s ‘previous’, he has got off a little lightly. I don’t understand what is happening to him and those closest to him must be seeing a different man.

In some ways he is unrecognisable to the charm and sparkle he had when he first arrived in England. People change, but I would love Jose to relax a little more, and let a bit more of what he had previously come to the fore. BBC.com