Stamford Bridge

Next Game

Chelsea v Man City

Thursday, 23 May 2013, 01:30

Friendly Match

Stamford Bridge

Last Game

Chelsea 2 - 1 Everton

Sunday, 19 May 2013, 16:00

Barclays Prem

Chelsea defend ref allegations

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has hit back at the club's critics and defended their accusation of inappropriate language against referee Mark Clattenburg.

Last Updated: 13/11/12 at 18:38 Post Comment

Mark Clattenburg and John Obi Mikel: Clashed during Chelsea's defeat

Mark Clattenburg and John Obi Mikel: Clashed during Chelsea's defeat

Buck is bemused by the reaction the club have received from some quarters following Chelsea's complaint that Clattenburg made an inappropriate comment to midfielder John Obi Mikel during the Premier League defeat to Manchester United last month.

The club has been criticised by some for pursuing the complaint following the defeat, in which Clattenburg made a couple of controversial decisions that went against Chelsea.

Buck insists the club were obliged to pursue the issue and it did not make them 'hypocrites' after their captain John Terry was found guilty by the Football Association of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

"The reaction has been very unfair," he told the Evening Standard. "We weren't interested in any confrontation with the referee or anybody else, had no thoughts of revenge on the referee.

"I felt we had the moral high ground, so I didn't really feel that bad about the defeat or have that feeling in my stomach. I thought we'd be treated very kindly in the newspapers next day.

"Suppose we had tried to sweep this under the rug and said to the various players, 'Look, it's not a big deal and the press are going to be all over us, maybe you want to reconsider.' If that had leaked out, we would've really been crucified.

"The press seem to juxtapose 'our support' of John Terry and what's going on here and looking at us as being a bit hypocritical.

"We have to divorce the John Terry situation from this. From our perspective, the latest situation was pretty straightforward.

"We have an obligation to report what may be misconduct. We did that, in good faith and not maliciously.

"We were guided by obligations that are imposed by the Football Association and also as an employer. FA rule E14 basically says a participant shall immediately report to the association any incident or matter which may be considered to be a misconduct."

He added: "Misconduct is a defined term under the FA regulations and includes such racial behaviour. We also had to consider the Equality Act 2010, which imposes an obligation on an employer to take certain actions if an employee is subject to discrimination by third parties."

Buck insists that Terry's influence at Stamford Bridge is overestimated but admits there have been numerous incidents involving the skipper.

He said: "We have a duty of care to John Terry in loco parentis. Not that, if he did something wrong, we weren't going to say he didn't do anything wrong. But we have to support him as a person. That's different from saying that, no matter what Terry does, we approve.

"I can't argue with the fact that, over the last 10 years, there have been a lot of public incidents in which Terry and Chelsea were involved. But I don't accept that we have something in our hearts that says we're going to chase the referees. It's just not like that at all, honest.

"Chelsea are not run by John Terry. I don't know how I can prove it to you but it's not true. My club is run by Roman Abramovich."

Football365 Facebook Fan Page

The Football365 fan page is a great place to meet like minded people, have football related discussions and make new friends.

Related News

Sky Bet

    • Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

A

nd nothing of value was lost.

ahx00
Pulis' Stoke exit confirmed

S

anity1892 Yes I probably should... But everytime I go back and read Almunia for England I just lose bladder control.

sir danne
The Busy Gossip

P

erfect replacement for Carragher. Slow, average when he was at his best, now well past it. Would just slot straight in! :)

rez plus
Liverpool eye Kolo move - Report

Footer 365

Kris Commons retires from international duty with Scotland

Kris Commons has retired from international duty with Scotland to 'concentrate on his family and on club football'.

Transfer news: Samir Nasri staying with Manchester City despite links to PSG

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri insists he wants to stay at the Etihad Stadium.

Premier League: Chelsea defender Gary Cahill would welcome Jose Mourinho

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill would welcome the anticipated return of Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge.

Mail Box

Mourinho Isn't Short-Term, Football Is

There's more in the afternoon Mailbox about Jose Mourinho and his potential return to Chelsea, while there's also a link to some pictures of eagles that look like Arsene Wenger...

Should Chelsea Be Worried About Jose Return?

After a disappointing end to his three years at Real Madrid, could Jose Mourinho struggle to bring immediate success if he completes his anticipated return to Chelsea?

© 2013 British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. All Rights Reserved