The former Manchester United player, who now writes column for the Independent said that officials referees appeared eager to please Sir Alex Ferguson when he was coaching but the recent comments by Jose Mourinho on officials are backfiring.
Sir Alex Ferguson was known for his influence on referees and said before he retired, that he would deliberately put pressure on officials. Jose Mourinho has already been fined 25,000 this season by the Football Association, for questioning the referee’s work and for suggesting that there was a campaign against his side. He has recently made an unexpected appearance on Sky Sports in which he critised the decision making by the referees.
Despite his attempt in replicating what Sir Alex Ferguson used to do best, it is not working for the Portuguese Manager according to Paul Scholes, he said :
As the most successful manager in the Premier League and its biggest name now that Sir Alex Ferguson has gone, it should be no great surprise to see Jose Mourinho doing his very best to influence the decision-makers in the game, from referees to the Football Association.The problem for the Chelsea manager is that I just don’t think it is working for him
“There is no doubt that my former manager Sir Alex exerted an influence over some referees. He was the master of dropping a comment into his Friday press conference — for instance, how long it had been since we had been given a penalty, or the treatment meted out to a player like Cristiano Ronaldo. It was always calculated and delivered calmly”
Jose Mourinho has been criticising the referees in the past few months for failing to do their work properly and was right to do so, but he must not forget that he has has some close calls in other games that have gone his way, said Scholes.
“The footage of Branislav Ivanovic locking his arm around James McCarthy’s throat in the Everton game did not look good. Equally, Gary Cahill, when he kicked Harry Kane in the New Year’s Day game at White Hart Lane when the striker was on the ground. Cahill’s challenge on Alexis Sanchez in October that angered Arsene was not too clever either.”
“I don’t know what reaction Mourinho expects from referees in saying what he has about them. If he had hoped that they would be more likely to give his team the split decisions then it has not worked. They seem to be determined not to be seen to be influenced by him,” added the former Manchester United player.
