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did I spell that right?'Shut Mourinho up', pleads Ferguson
'He just seems to go on and on and on'
Staff and agencies
Friday April 27, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
"Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?" Photograph: Phil Cole/Getty Images
Sir Alex Ferguson has launched a stinging attack on Jose Mourinho and says he is "surprised" the Chelsea manager has not been called to account for the many and various controversial claims he has made this season. In the past week alone, Mourinho has claimed Premier League games are now being played to "new rules", stating Chelsea were denied a clear penalty at Newcastle on Sunday while United somehow avoided conceding two blatant ones against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.
Although Mourinho did not accuse any individuals, or identify whom he felt was responsible for the "rule change", Ferguson said the Chelsea manager appeared to be questioning the integrity of the English game - and should be brought to book. Yesterday, as if to further fan the flames, Mourinho labelled fellow countryman Cristiano Ronaldo "a liar" after the United winger, reacting to an earlier Mourinho outburst, declared the Chelsea boss didn't know how to live with failure.
"Jose Mourinho seems to be on some sort of personal crusade about regulations," railed Ferguson today. "I am surprised no action has been taken against him. He just seems to go on and on and on. Everybody gets bad decisions, you just have to get on with it. He is saying our game is suspicious. That is wrong. He abused Barcelona in the past, a Swedish referee [Anders Frisk], a German referee [Markus Merk] and the other night he said Liverpool players were going to hunt down Didier Drogba to get him booked. That is very disappointing. As for Cristiano Ronaldo, everyone is entitled to have a comment or opinion. That doesn't mean to say they are liars." Ferguson, of course, is himself no stranger to making outrageous claims, having once intimated the Champions League was rigged to pair United with Real Madrid.
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