Jose Mourinho banned over critical refereeing comments

Mourinho also received a hefty €50,000 fine for his comments.

Roma manager Jose Mourinho has been issued a ban by the Italian FA over comments he made regarding referee Daniele Chiffi. The ten-day ban, which doesn't come into effect until the opening day of the Serie A campaign in August, was issued alongside a €50,000 fine for the Portuguese coach. Following Roma's 1-1 draw with Monza in May, Mourinho described the game's referee Daniele Chiffi as "the worst" he had ever seen. The two-time Champions League winning manager also claimed that he had worn a microphone during the match to "protect" himself from Chiffi. The Italian referee has history with Mourinho, having sent him off during Roma's 1-0 loss against Atalanta earlier in the season. In the draw with Monza, Chiffi also brandished a red card to Roma full-back Mehmet Zeki Celik. [caption id="attachment_289688" align="alignnone" width="640"] The ban is Mourinho's second of the month, following his run-in with UEFA over the officiating in the Europa League Final. (Credit: Getty Images)[/caption] After the game, which effectively ended Roma's hunt for Champions League football, Mourinho tore into the referee;

"He (Chiffi) is the worst. Technically, he's horrible. Zero empathy. Zero communication. Zero awareness". "A second yellow to a guy who slips in the 96th minute... I stopped working 20-30 minutes from the end because I knew he would give me a red card for anything". "I didn't give him the opportunity, I decided no, that's enough".

The former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss was not done though castigating Chiffi, lamenting the referee's way of dealing with players;

"He is horrible, he makes no human connection with anyone, he has no empathy, he gives a red card to a player who slips because he is exhausted in the 96th minute." "Unfortunately, this too is a sign of Roma's weakness as a club, because we do not have the strength of other clubs who can saw we don't want this referee".

This ban handed down by the Italian FA is Mourinho's second of the month, after he received one from UEFA for using "abusive language towards referee Anthony Taylor in the Europa League final. That ban will see the Roma manager miss his side's first four group games in next season's Europa League. Related Articles:

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