Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has criticised referees for their apparent unfair treatment of Diego Costa, reports the Daily Mirror.
The Portuguese believes that if the 26-year-old had elbowed Fernandinho in the same way that the Brazilian had to him, then he would have been sent off. The Manchester City man only received a yellow card for the incident.
“I can guarantee you, if Diego Costa does that, it’s a red card. And if not a red card, there will be video footage and suspension. I can guarantee that,” said Mourinho, “We are speaking about reputation, but what I see, game after game, is more of the same. It’s Diego doing his job and no more than that. Enough time has passed to forget his reputation – tell me when was the last time something happened? I don’t think he’s too physical.”
When asked about defenders winding up the fiery forward, the 52-year-old added, “And the reaction is punished? Yes, yes. But what can you do? The referees, they have the power to analyse and to decide. We can do nothing.
“We are told to behave in the technical area, not to complain, not to make gestures, not to have contact with other assistants outside the bench watching television telling us, ‘This is a red, this is not a red’, or, ‘This is a penalty, this is not a penalty’. We were told that, and we are doing that.”
Since arriving in the Premier League from Atletico Madrid, Costa has become known for his physical approach. Last season he picked up eight yellow cards in the top flight, but this was countered by brilliant goalscoring form. The Spain international managed to hit the back of the net 20 times in 26 league matches, firing the Blues to the title.
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This time round, the Stamford Bridge outfit have made a poor start to the campaign, drawing with Swansea City and losing to direct rivals Manchester City. However, in the last week they have signed Pedro from Barcelona as well as Abdul Baba Rahman from Augsburg, and will be hoping that the pair can turn their faltering season around.