Anti-Chelsea campaign a figment of Mourinho’s shrewd mind

LONDON — For one of the sharpest — and most-admired — minds in football, Jose Mourinho is becoming increasingly predictable with his attempts to cast Chelsea as the victims of a grand conspiracy.

To hear Mourinho tell it, it’s as if pundits and the media conspire to undermine Chelsea by agreeing on a line of attack that is then executed as part of a mysterious “campaign”. A Chelsea player tumbling in the penalty area is labelled a diver. A Chelsea player who catches an opponent’s ankle has executed a vicious stamp.

And the referees, according to Mourinho’s mantra, are susceptible enough to all this campaigning that it can affect their decision making during a match.

There is of course no grand conspiracy, as imagined by Mourinho, being played out. But it is easy for him to rail against outside targets — just as he did at Real Madrid, where he managed to turn a large section of Spanish media against him.

In Mourinho’s mind, Chelsea striker Diego Costa was only banned for three games for stamping on Emre Can in last week’s League Cup semifinal win over Liverpool because of criticism by former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp and media scrutiny.

Before the Football Association’s fast-tracked retrospective sanctioning of Costa for treading on Can — the Spain striker was cleared of stamping on Martin Skrtel — the governing body punished Mourinho for a misdemeanour the previous month.

The decision to book Cesc Fabregas for diving at Southampton — revealed by replays to be a bad decision by the referee — led to Mourinho first claiming there is “a clear campaign” in which the media is influencing referees’ decision.

“People, pundits, commentators, coaches from other teams — they react with Chelsea in a way they don’t react to other teams,” Mourinho said. “They put lots of pressure on the referee and the referee makes a mistake like this.”

The FA fined Mourinho last Thursday £25,000 ($38,000) for this outburst, deciding they were “improper and brought the game into disrepute”.

Although Mourinho was cleared of implying the refereeing was biased, the constant insinuations that officials are professionally inadequate, even pre-disposed to act against Chelsea, are damaging for football.

For referees, protecting their integrity is everything. Without it their authority is neutered.

Mourinho’s fight with the media industry is on his terms.

If Chelsea are champions again come May, Mourinho will undoubtedly judge the verbal skirmishes with officials and the media to have been worthwhile.

Even if he creates a few more enemies.