We always expect fireworks with Jose Mourinho, but three red cards in a single season is certainly pushing the boat out a bit.
That's the milestone the Roma boss reached during Tuesday night's potentially costly 2-1 defeat to Cremonese, as he was sent off by referee Marco Piccinini for a clash with the fourth official.
In classic Jose fashion, however, things didn't end there, and Mourinho has now been banned for two games for entering the referee's dressing room after the match to protest the decision.
He then went on an extraordinary rant which claimed that Piccinini was biased against his team due to his Turin heritage - with Roma set to place Juventus next.
Jose Mourinho: Roma boss banned after claiming Turin referee was biased
Things are on the up at the Stadio Olimpico, with Roma pushing for a return to the Champions League places.
Their top four hopes were dealt a blow on Tuesday night, however, as they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat away to relegation-threatened Cremonese.
Manager Jose Mourinho was sent off after a clash with the fourth official on the touchline, before repeatedly shouting, 'It's him!' while pointing at the official in question.
Another week, another Jose Mourinho red card 😂 pic.twitter.com/sWMjRfgsqp
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 28, 2023
Anyone familiar with Jose Mourinho will know that such an incident is not out of character. Known as a provocative character throughout his spells at Europe's biggest clubs, his time at Roma has been no different.
Mourinho had already been sent off twice this season prior to Tuesday, but the Cremonese incident descended into something altogether more crazy.
After the match, Mourinho launched a tirade against referee Piccinini, claiming that the fourth official had made unacceptable comments towards him. Mourinho claimed that, after asking for an explanation of a contentious on-field decision, he was told by the fourth official:
Mind your own fucking business. They all take the piss out of you, go home.
Mourinho would go on to say he could not understand the decision to send him off, and questioned whether the fourth official being from Turin had swayed the outcome of the altercation, given Roma will play Juventus next in Serie A:
I need to understand if I can take any legal action. Piccinini gave me a red card, because unfortunately the fourth official deos not have the capacity to understand what he said to me.
I want to find out if there is an audio recording. I don't want to get into the fact that Serra [the fourth official] is from Turin and on Sunday we are playing against Juventus.
For the first time in my career, a fourth official spoke to me in the most incredible way. It was unjustifiable. At the end of the game, I went to speak to them.
Piccinini, who was the fourth official in the last game when I was sent off, told me to apologise to Serra. I told Serra he should have the courage to explain what happened, but he had memory problems.
Serie A responded to the incident by confirming that Mourinho had indeed approached the officiating team after the game - but said that the Portuguese coach had in fact burst in to the referees' changing room and made 'gravely offensive expressions.'
Their statement explaining the decision said that Mourinho had been sent off:
For having contested a refereeing decision in a forceful and provocative manner in the second minute of the second half and repeating this behaviour at the time of the sending off.
Furthermore, for entering the referees’ dressing room and addressing the fourth official with offensive expressions and inferences at the end of the match.
After all of that, Jose Mourinho looks set to be missing from the sideline for Roma's crucial clash with Juventus on Monday night, as well as the following match against Sassuolo on March 12.
Never a dull day with the Special One...
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