Chelsea FC News: Diving Accusations Influenced Referee To Book Cesc Fabregas Against Southampton And Cost Blues Two Points - Jose Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho opined that diving accusations coming from different personalities connected with the Premier League influenced referee Anthony Taylor to hand Cesc Fabregas a booking, rather than award the Blues a penalty against Southampton.

Eden Hazard netted an equaliser nine minutes before Fabregas was shown a yellow, and had the call been the opposite, the west London outfit could have been 5 points clear from second-placed Manchester City.

"Of course (it has influenced the referee)," he said.

"That's a campaign, that's a clear campaign. People, pundits, commentators, coaches from other teams - they react with Chelsea in a way they don't react to other teams."

"They put lots of pressure on the referee and the referee makes a mistake like this. We lose two points, Fabregas earns a yellow card."

"Out of nothing, Sam Allardyce starts speaking about Chelsea players diving, and in another game it is another coach.

"We are polite people. At the end of the game, no problems, no fights, no shouting to referees, but the reality is that there are penalties and penalties, and this one is a huge one.

"Can you understand why a coach after the game says Chelsea players are diving? Match after match they are saying the same. And the other opponents are the ones who are getting the penalties that decide matches and results.

The Blues have already received four yellow cards for diving in the ongoing campaign, with striker Diego Costa adjudged guilty for theatrically falling to the ground in two instances.

Mourinho warned that should the trend continue, the matter might escalate into a "scandal."

"In other countries where I worked, tomorrow in the sports papers it would be front-page scandal because it is a scandal," he added.

"I think it is a scandal because it is not a small penalty -- it is a penalty like Big Ben."

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