José Mourinho puts Chelsea into lockdown after Costa stamp

Mourinho has cancelled the media conference he was due to hold on Friday to preview the title showdown against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, a move that will lead to another exchange with the Premier League.


It was difficult to see it as anything other than a protest against the Costa charge, which has upset Mourinho and everyone at the club. When the manager was charged by the FA over comments he made last month about there being a media-driven “campaign” against Chelsea, he responded by withdrawing from his conference before the home ame against Newcastle United.

Steve Holland, the assistant manager, stepped in but the league’s regulations, which are agreed with all the clubs, state that it must be the manager who holds the pre-match conference with rights holders, who are almost all broadcasters.

The league wrote to Chelsea to ask why Mourinho had failed to fulfil his pre-Newcastle obligations – the matter has yet to be resolved – and is set to contact them again. If it is not satisfied with the reasons for Mourinho’s no-shows, it has the authority to issue a fine.

Mourinho was fined £25,000 on Wednesday morning after the FA ruled he had overstepped the line with his remarks about the “campaign” against Chelsea and, later in the day, the governing body brought the charge against Costa, following Tuesday night’s stormy Capital One Cup semi-final against Liverpool, which Chelsea won.

Costa has been accused of deliberately stamping on Emre Can – the striker was spared an additional charge after the FA ruled that a second, alleged stamp on Martin Skrtel was accidental. But Costa wants his insistence that he did not set out to stamp on an opponent placed on record. Mourinho argued after the game that the flashpoints had been “absolutely accidental”.

Costa faces a three-match ban because the referee, Michael Oliver, who did not see the incident with Can, has admitted that he would have shown a red card if he had.

The FA is dealing with the case under its fast-track system and an independent panel will pass judgment on Friday, with the expectation being that the suspension will be upheld. The FA has a 99% success rate in such matters. Costa would miss the matches against City, Aston Villa and Everton. Chelsea will submit evidence on Costa’s behalf to the commission.

Mourinho would start with Didier Drogba against City if Costa were ruled out and he also faces being without the influential midfielder Cesc Fàbregas, who damaged a hamstring against Liverpool. Fàbregas trained with a physiotherapist, away from the squad, at Cobham on Thursday, as he fought to prove his fitness but it would still be a surprise if he featured.


By David Hytner and Dominic Fifield, Guardian