Cesc
Fabregas says referee Anthony Taylor had "a bad day at the office" after he
booked the Chelsea midfielder for diving during Sunday's draw at
Southampton.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was furious that his team were not awarded a
penalty early in the second half when Fabregas went down in the box
following a challenge from Matt Targett.
Instead of awarding Chelsea a spot-kick Taylor decided the Spaniard had
dived and booked him, a decision which Mourinho believes is part of a
growing movement against his side.
"There was definitely contact," Fabregas told chelseafc.com.
"I don't think the referee had the best game of his life but we're all human
and a bad day at the office can happen to anyone. That's it, let's not talk
more about it, we have to talk about football."
Mourinho claims that Chelsea are the victim of a diving campaign which he
feels is costing his team points.
"In other countries where I worked before, tomorrow in the sports papers it
would be a front-page scandal because it is a scandal," the Chelsea boss
said following the match.
"I think it is a scandal because it is not a small penalty - it is a penalty
like Big Ben. In this country - and I am happy with that, more than happy
with that - we will just say that it was a big mistake with a big influence
in the result.
"I am happy that it is this way, with respect for the referee. He made a big
mistake like I make, like the players make sometimes."
Mourinho blamed the Fabregas booking on recent accusations of diving made
against Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic, who was named by Sam Allardyce
in the wake of West Ham's Boxing Day defeat at Stamford Bridge.
"Of course (it has influenced the referee)," he said. "That's a campaign,
that's a clear campaign. People, pundits, commentators, coaches from other
teams – they react with Chelsea in a way they don't react to other teams.
"They put lots of pressure on the referee and the referee makes a mistake
like this. We lose two points, Fabregas earns a yellow card."
Chelsea legend Ron Harris entered the debate by claiming players who are
going down “very easily” are creating a “disease” in football.
Harris, who made a club record 795 appearances for Chelsea, jumped to the
defence Mourinho and Fabregas and believes they were right to feel aggrieved
about the booking.
The former Chelsea captain believes Taylor made a mistake in showing
Fabregas a yellow card and that Targett should be feeling “relieved” after
not conceding a penalty.
Harris said: "It's a very difficult job refereeing today. It's easy to sit
there in the TV studio and say 'he's got this decision wrong'.
"Everybody makes mistakes, but they're being highlighted at the moment.
"Players, in every level of football, seem to go down very easily nowadays
compared to what they used to.
"For the last three or four years there's been a disease in football where
people fall very easily.
"The only people that will stop it are the players themselves."
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