Jose Mourinho’s attack on Chelsea fans over the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge has sparked an angry backlash, with John Terry stepping in to keep the peace.
Mourinho has risked tarnishing his Herculean status at the Bridge by criticising the lack of vocal backing during Chelsea’s win against QPR on Saturday, with some diehard fans feeling the coach overstepped his boundaries.
Mourinho said Stamford Bridge was like ‘an empty stadium,’ a comment that hit a nerve with those who fear they are being priced out of games and discouraged from properly getting behind the team by club’s aggressive no-standing policy.
‘Jose shouldn’t have done that, he is out of order,’ said David Johnstone, spokesman for the fanzine cfcuk.
‘I love him to bits but he has made us look like mugs. We’ve already met twice with the club to talk about finding ways to improve the atmosphere.’
Last season, Johnstone was among those who organised a collection to pay Mourinho’s £8,000 FA fine for stepping onto the pitch at Aston Villa, but they have been offended by this episode.
Another point of contention concerns warning letters received by some fans, who have threatened to withdraw season tickets because they have been identified as persistent standers during games by stewards and security officials using CCTV.
Terry spoke with 18-year-old fan Joe Davies, who made contact via social media to tell the Chelsea captain Mourinho had been ‘bang out of order’ and urge him to back the supporters. Davies said Terry promised to help when he called him.
‘I understand Jose’s point,’ added Johnstone. ‘Chelsea are top of the league and fans should sing for 100 minutes, let alone 90. But the culture in English football has changed and some fans who come into the ground now are more interested in taking selfies than getting behind the team.
‘If we were winning four or five-nil he wouldn’t have said anything, but when he sees us struggling against a team second from bottom, he lets himself down. I know what he can be like.’
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