Spaniard was cautioned twice in quick succession.
Swansea City head coach Garry Monk has criticised the part played by Chelsea’s coaching staff, in particular manager Jose Mourinho, in the sending-off of Swans defender Chico Flores in the two sides’ Premier League meeting at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday afternoon, according to reports in the Guardian.
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The South Wales strugglers saw their influential centre back dismissed in the first half in the Principality after being shown two yellow cards in the space of a few minutes.
However, initially it had appeared as though referee Phil Dowd was not going to hand the Spaniard a second yellow following a foul on Willian on the edge of the area, until being pressurised by the visitors’ players, while on the touchline the Blues’ coaching staff could also be seen making their feelings clear to the fourth official.
“If you go by the letter of the law, it is a sending off. The more disappointing thing was that it looked like he [Dowd] had signalled straight away ‘no’, as if to signal it doesn’t warrant another yellow,” Monk said. “For their bench and manager to [then] surround the fourth official, and their players surround the referee himself, and then the red card comes so [much] later on, it makes you wonder.
“The circumstances leading up to it was strange but I don’t doubt Phil, I know him well and I’ve played a lot of games when he’s been ref. If he says he’s giving himself time, then it’s him giving himself time. I haven’t asked him personally [if that was the case] but that’s what I’ve been told by one of the coaching staff.”