Roma head coach Jose Mourinho has been hit with a 10-day suspension for the start of the Serie A season over comments he made about a referee.
Mourinho has been sanctioned by the national federal court of Italy’s football federation, the FIGC, after describing official Daniele Chiffi as “the worst referee (he) had ever seen” after Roma’s match against Monza on May 3rd.
The Portuguese, who has also managed Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, will not be allowed to appear on the touchline or in the club’s dressing room on matchdays during the first 10 days of the new domestic campaign.
He has also been fined 50,000 euros (just over £43,000).
Last week Mourinho was banned for four matches by UEFA for abusing English referee Anthony Taylor at the Europa League final on May 31.
Mourinho criticised Taylor in his post-match press conference and, in video footage which later emerged on social media, he was seen gesticulating at Taylor and officials in the stadium car park and heard saying “disgrace”.
Subsequent video footage showed Taylor being accosted by angry fans at Budapest Airport.
Uefa responded to that in a statement on June 2, the same day Mourinho was charged.
The statement read: “UEFA vehemently condemns violent behaviour directed towards its referee Anthony Taylor and his family. Such actions are unacceptable and undermine the spirit of fair play and respect that UEFA upholds.
“Referees play a crucial role in ensuring the integrity and fairness of the game, and their safety and wellbeing are of utmost importance. UEFA stands firm in its commitment to creating a safe and respectful environment for all participants, including referees, and will not tolerate any form of violent behaviour towards them.
“We urge all players, coaches, and fans to embrace the values of sportsmanship, treat referees with dignity and respect, and join us in upholding the highest standards of conduct on and off the pitch.
“UEFA maintains a close collaboration with local police and airport security starting from the referees’ arrival in host cities. However, we are constantly striving to enhance the security measures for officials in coordination with local authorities. We will carefully assess the incidents and incorporate valuable insights into our future event planning processes.”
