Jose Mourinho launched a passionate defense of his Chelsea team after their elimination from the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain.
The Premier League leaders were knocked out on away goals after extra time, despite PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic being sent off in the 31st minute. Ibrahimovic had accused Chelsea players of behaving like "babies" by crowding around the referee.
Mourinho insisted that Chelsea were no more guilty of influencing referees than any other Premier League club. He pointed out that Chelsea had been charged only once in eight months of competition.
"If my players surround the referee, we are charged," he said. "We have to pay a fine and if we do that, the players pay the fine. At this moment we have eight months of competition, we have been charged once and we paid for that.
Mourinho also responded to criticism from television pundits Jamie Carragher and Graeme Souness, saying: "Maybe because of diet and maybe the quality of the products we are eating, memories are getting shorter."
Despite the Champions League elimination, Mourinho expressed confidence that Chelsea would win the Premier League, citing their five-point lead over Manchester City and a game in hand.
"The only thing we want to speak about the Champions League this season is that, if we are champions, next season we are a top seed," he said. "What we can do now for ourselves and our club is win the Premier League – 11 matches to play, only one competition. Our situation is good. It’s better than anyone else’s."
The recovered account cited reporting by Capital FM.
