Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho handed a 5-match
When Real Madrid and Barcelona were pitted together to face each other 4 times in the space of 18 days, in three different competitions, it was a foregone conclusion that the fans were in for some fireworks.
But not many would have thought those fireworks would spark off the pitch.
First it was Pep Guardiola who swore on live Spanish television in response to Jose Mourinho's unjustified and uncalled-for remarks about him and the Catalans, then it was that ugly UEFA Champions league semi-final first-leg
where three persons were shown a red card (two off the pitch). Finally, it was Jose Mourinho presenting a conspiracy theory, like he always does, that UEFA helps Barcelona win the Champions league by favouring them in matches.
For everyone concerned, the prospect of 4 El Clasicos was a mouth-watering treat of football, but what followed was an ugly encounter of two teams h**l bent upon getting the better of the other by means legal or illegal.
Real Madrid won the Copa del Rey for the first time since 1993 while Barcelona made it through to the final of the UEFA Champions League for the second time in 3 seasons, in the end there was something for everyone in
it.
But after what followed on that fateful day in Madrid, there were bound to be some repercussions and earlier it was confirmed that Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was banned for five games for his signature antics in the
match against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 at the Bernabeu.
UEFA, in a released statement, said that it was inappropriate for the Portuguese coach to criticize the officials in the manner that he did following Real’s 2-0 defeat in the first-leg where http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pepe-c29670 was shown a red card.
Mourinho has been handed a 5-match ban by UEFA and will miss the next three Champions League games, having already served an automatic one-match mandatory suspension in the second-leg of the semifinal. The one remaining
match has been suspended for a 3-year probationary period. In addition to the ban, Mourinho has also been fined 50,000 Euros by the game’s governing body.
The Castilla club have announced that they will appeal against the ban.
"Real Madrid considers this resolution still suffers from the same defects found at the start of the disciplinary case, which made it impossible for our coach to use his right to defend himself," read a statement on the
Los Blancos website.
Meanwhile, Barcelona have also said that they will appeal against the ban given to their reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto, who appeared to have slapped http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Seydou-Keita-c33177.
The goalie has already served a one-match automatic ban in the second-leg of the semi-final at Camp Nou but will now miss the final also, for which he was initially eligible.
Turning out attention to the self proclaimed 'Special One'. This is not the first time that Mourinho has been banned by UEFA as he was banned for two games in 2005 when during his http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 days he accused Barcelona coach
Frank Rijkaard to have influenced the referee Anders Frisk.
Mourinho was also banned for one match earlier in the season as UEFA found him guilty of instructing Real Madrid players http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Xabi-Alonso-c37045 to get deliberately sent off in the Champions league.
It seems that the manager's reputation of having a big mouth and a whiny nature precedes him going into every competition. Blaming everyone else except himself and his team are one of the traits Mourinho is most famous
for and by the looks of things, he sure has a few more complaints about the current scenario.
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