London: Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been asked by the England Football Association (FA) to explain comments he made before his club’s Premier League derby match against Manchester City, Sunday.
The FA said that Mourinho had been asked for his ‘observations’ on comments he made December 8 in interviews ahead of Sunday’s game, which United lost 1-2. FA did not, however, specify the comments under investigation or what – if any – rules might have been broken.
During a pre-match news conference, Mourinho questioned City players’ ability to stay on their feet, and had said: “A little bit of wind and they fall.”
Mourinho also doubted he would be allowed to make the sort of political statement that his opposite number, Pep Guardiola, had when wearing a yellow ribbon in apparent protest against the imprisonment of pro-independence politicians in Catalonia.
The FA is already investigating an incident after the match in which milk was thrown at Mourinho after he reportedly complained about City’s ‘excessive’ dressing-room celebrations following their victory at Old Trafford. While Guardiola has apologised for the incident, Mourinho has remained defiant and has said that he had done nothing wrong when he had celebrated against the celebrations.
After the game Sunday, players and support staff of both sides had been involved in a scuffle inside the tunnel at Old Trafford leaving a couple of people injured, though not seriously.
Reuters
