Chelsea
manager Jose Mourinho insists clubs that breach Financial Fair Play
regulations should be docked points and should not be champions in a thinly
veiled attack on Premier League title rivals Manchester City.
City - and Chelsea's Champions League last-16 opponents Paris St Germain -
were issued heavy fines by UEFA for their outlandish spending in recent
years.
Chelsea are bidding to comply with FFP and made a profit for the third
successive transfer window despite signing Colombia World Cup star Juan
Cuadrado on Monday's deadline day.
"I enjoy the challenge of the English competition," said Mourinho. "It's a
good challenge. The only thing that it is not nice is that you compete
against the ones (clubs) who don't follow the same rules.
"That's the only problem. I don't think - and it's happened before - a team
can be champions when you are punished because you didn't comply with
Financial Fair Play."
City were fined £49 million last May, after winning the 2013/14 title, for
infringing FFP regulations, but made the biggest English outlay of the
transfer window in spending £25m plus add-ons for striker Wilfried Bony.
Asked what the penalty should be, Mourinho said: "Points. Of course. I don't
know (how many)."
It is not the first time the Portuguese has spoken of City's spending.
Mourinho, who spent lavishly during his first spell as Chelsea boss from
June 2004 to September 2007, is happy with the transfer strategy imposed at
Stamford Bridge by owner Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea sold Andre Schurrle to Wolfsburg for a reported £8m profit, allowing
them to buy Cuadrado from Fiorentina.
The sale of Ryan Bertrand to Southampton for a reported fee of £10m allowed
the Blues to make a profit once again.
Mourinho, who is 18 months into a four-year contract, added: "It was
explained the profile of club Mr Abramovich wants, with total, complete
respect to the Financial Fair Play rules.
"Our work to keep the team strong, with possibility to compete against the
ones financially more powerful or against the ones who don't care and don't
respect Financial Fair Play... we had to work very, very hard.
"In my area, I tried to do that. Analysing the players we can sell and those
we can buy.
"But when it goes to numbers, it goes completely out of my control. Total
credit to the people who deserve credit in that area."
Mourinho refused to speak about City specifically, but did sarcastically
rebuke Manuel Pellegrini for saying Diego Costa "needed to change" after the
Chelsea striker was banned for three matches for stamping on Liverpool's
Emre Can.
"I don't speak about Man City their players and their options," Mourinho
added.
"I appreciate the lesson that Mr Pellegrini wanted to give to one of my
players, but I don't want to do the same or give any kind of word about it."
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