Cups runneth over for furious Mourinho

JOSE MOURINHO has slammed the Football Association after they forced Chelsea to play Newcastle in the FA Cup tomorrow.

Mourinho is fuming his side are being made to play the fifth round tie just three days before a crucial Champions League clash against Barcelona on Wednesday night.

The Chelsea boss is adamant that would not happen in any other country and English clubs are not given enough protection when it comes to the big European tournaments.

And Mourinho has a strong fear the backlog of fixtures could cost his side winning the Champions League this season.

Mourinho said: “Some countries protect teams that play in Europe. In England, you don’t do it. For example, if I played in the Champions League with Porto, the game before would have been played on a Friday. If I had a Champions League game on the Wednesday, the next game would be on a Monday.

“Here, especially with Chelsea you have to play Sunday, to play in Barcelona next week and so on and so on. It is difficult.

“You have to adapt and don’t have the protection that Portuguese, Spanish and the French get. All of them, they have protection.

“On Wednesday there were some matches in the UEFA Cup. If Newcastle had played against Heerenveen on Wednesday, we could have played against them Saturday.

“We then would have had a rest for Sunday. Barcelona play on Saturday and we play Sunday. It is the situation you must fight for. These teams are representing your country.”

Mourinho is still confused why his side had to play Everton at lunchtime last weekend and now have to wait until 4pm on Sunday to play their FA Cupfixture. Chelsea will now fly straight from Newcastle to Barcelona tomorrow night and arrive in the early hours of Monday morning - something Mourinho is also fuming about.

Mourinho added: “I don’t even know who is responsible for the fixtures on TV or the reasons we have to play Everton on Saturday and Arsenal play on a Monday. I don’t know these people.

“In Portugal, in France, in Spain, you have a department working with you, to help you, when you are involved in Europe.

“I always had someone in the Portuguese League saying, you have ‘Real Madrid next Wednesday, when do you want to play’. I would say ‘Friday’. I always had this type of protection.

“All clubs in England have contracts. They get the same basic money. The circumstances are the same for Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

“Why is it, that they play when they want to, but we don’t play when I want? That is my point.

“I know games must be on TV, but why do I play on Sunday and they both play on Saturday?

“On Saturday, if I have to wake at 7am to play Everton, why this weekend is it on a Sunday.

“I could wake up again at 7am. Now, I will be waiting one day for the game, playing at night and flying to Barcelona, arriving at 2am. I am not English, but I would like English teams to win the Champions League - especially Chelsea.”

Mourinho is poised to field a weakened tomorrow resting the likes of Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, Petr Cech, Paulo Ferreira and possibly Damien Duff at St James’ Park.

His side will still be relatively strong, with such a large squad to call upon, even in the absence of John Terry through suspension, as well as Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben through injury. Jiri Jarosik, ineligible for the Champions League, will start at St James’ Park, along with the likes of Carlo Cudicini, Glen Johnson and Alexei Smertin or Geremi.

However, Mourinho warned: “People try to put pressure on us, saying we can win every competition. But while we have a top squad and top men, we are not supermen.”