SOUTHAMPTON, United Kingdom - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claimed that there is a campaign to get his players wrongly punished for diving following his side's 1-1 Premier League draw at Southampton.
After Eden Hazard had cancelled out Sadio Mane's opener for Southampton on Sunday, referee Anthony Taylor booked Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas after he went down under a challenge by Matthew Targett in the second half.
Television replays indicated that the official may have made a mistake, as Targett appeared to make contact with Fabregas after slipping, but Mourinho suggested that there was more to it than that.
He listed previous incidents when Chelsea players had been booked for perceived dives, including one involving Diego Costa against Burnley on the opening weekend of the season.
Diving had also been the topic of post-match conversation after a 2-0 home win against Hull City earlier this month, which saw England defender Gary Cahill topple to the turf in an eye-catching manner.
Why was it not a penalty Because the referee made a mistake, Mourinho said. People make mistakes -- he made a mistake. A big mistake, but a mistake.
I think it is the result of something that looks like a campaign. In the first match, Diego got a yellow card when it should have been a red card (for the defender) and a penalty at Burnley.
A few months later, Fabregas gets a yellow card. The double punishment is unbelievable. You have a penalty and probably you win the game. You don't get the penalty and you get a yellow card.
We have had bad yellow cards for simulation. I am not saying all, but we are speaking about crucial decisions. For example, the game against Hull City -- do you think the most important thing was Cahill or Filipe Luis almost with a broken leg
Chelsea's Boxing day fixture had also featured a simulation controversy, with West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce having accused Branislav Ivanovic of going down too easily during his side's 2-0 defeat.
On that occasion the officials punished neither side.
AFP
