Jose Mourinho Reportedly Likely to Escape Touchline Ban at Chelsea

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is expected to avoid a touchline ban, despite seeing red for his antics against Cardiff on Saturday.

PA Sport reports via ESPN FC that the Portuguese manager is set to earn a reprieve due to the overall poor performance of referee Anthony Taylor and his team. The Sun also tweeted the following:

The ESPN FC article from Monday morning states:

"

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho could escape a touchline ban after being sent off during Chelsea’s 4-1 Premier League win against Cardiff.

Mourinho consistently left his technical area to complain to referee Anthony Taylor about Cardiff’s perceived time-wasting resulting in him being asked to leave the dug-out.

Taylor, though, could be stood down for the next set of fixtures after failing to spot Samuel Eto’o illegally take the ball from Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall to assist the opening goal for Eden Hazard.

"

Mourinho is, of course, no stranger to controversy, having spent much of his time in Spain disputing with both domestic authorities and UEFA over decisions—primarily involving ties with rivals Barcelona.

Just eight games into his Premier League return, the Chelsea boss has already overstepped his mark in a match in which the major point of contention in the buildup to his side's equalising goal went in his favour.

Striker Eto'o stole the ball away from goalkeeper David Marshall in the Cardiff area, despite FIFA rules stating a goalkeeper bouncing the ball cannot be challenged, per Ian Stafford of the Daily Mail.

On the BBC's Match of the Day program, Cardiff boss Malky Mackay said post-match that Taylor had told him that Marshall was considered to have dropped the ball by one of his assistants.

Replays, though, suggest otherwise.

Chelsea boss Mourinho may avoid a touchline ban on this occasion, but should be considered lucky to do so given his dismissal.

Regardless of the referee's performance, Mourinho was visibly confrontational with Taylor and showed disregard for authority. As a role model, he set a poor example.

The Portuguese manager, of course, once famously avoided a UEFA stadium ban while at Chelsea in 2005 by smuggling his way into the dressing room in a laundry cart, per the Daily Mail's Matt Lawton.

Pre-season, Mourinho promised that he was now the "Happy One" upon his return to Stamford Bridge this summer, per BBC Sport. His jovial mood, though, appears not to have lasted long.