Mourinho: FA punishment a 'disgrace'... but at least I'm not tagged!

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has brandished the possibility of him being banned from a stadium by the Football Association as "astonishing".

The former Real Madrid boss was fined £50,000 and given a suspended stadium ban after criticising the officials during his side's 3-1 defeat to Southampton.

And at the launch of his new book, Mourinho, the Blues boss has hit out at the English governing body.

"I'm happy that I don't have an electronic tag!" he told reporters.

"I understand you are a critic, I do not understand your reaction to the FA and myself, every word I say is a big risk of me.
"£50,000 is a disgrace. The possibility of getting a stadium ban is astonishing."

The sentence had been handed down after the Portuguese accused match official Robert Madley of being "afraid" for waving away several Chelsea penalty appeals against the visiting Saints at the start of October.

Continuing to speak at his book launch, Mourinho elaborated that he felt he was the victim of double standards after seeing Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger escape punishment for similar comments made about Mike Dean after their loss to Chelsea in September.

Mourinho claimed Wenger described Dean as "weak and naive" but received no sanction, while also pointing out the FA took no action against the Frenchman for pushing him during their touchline altercation in their teams' clash in October 2014.

"When I compare different people, different behaviours, with similar words, the difference between 'afraid' and 'weak and naive' is £10,000 and one-match stadium ban," Mourinho blasted.

"Premier League managers have difficulties with the press, we have to do press when [we] would prefer not to.

"We now know we can push people, to say the referee is 'weak and naive' we can do it. 

"Every manager in this country knows 'afraid' costs £50,000 but 'weak and naive', we can do it."

The former Inter and Real Madrid coach has admitted to the current period being the most difficult one he has experienced in his career, with English champions Chelsea currently languishing 16th in the Premier League - 10 points behind leaders Manchester City.