Jose Mourinho will appeal the £50,000 fine and suspended one-match stadium ban imposed on him by the FA.
The Chelsea manager was sanctioned after he suggested referees were afraid to give his side penalties in the wake of their 3-1 home defeat to Southampton.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s home match against Aston Villa on Saturday, Mourinho said: “I have to be honest with myself – that is the most important thing – so I have to appeal.”
Mourinho described the fine as a “disgrace” at book signing on Thursday night but refused to comment further on Friday.
He added: “The moment we got the written reasons and I decided to appeal was the moment to stop with my opinions and not to add anything more than I did already, which I think I was very objective in my sadness.”
Mourinho insisted his criticism of the FA would not prevent him taking the England manager’s job, which he has previously expressed an interest in, should he ever be offered it.
He added: “Maybe I am naive, but, for me, English football, English football fans, the English passion for the game – what makes me like so much this country and the football in this country – is not the FA. It’s the people, and if one day I have to work for that people, I will.”
Chelsea sit 16th in the Premier League on just eight points ahead of welcoming a Villa side who are two places and four points worse off. Despite Villa’s struggles, Mourinho refused to describe it as a must-win match.
“Every game is a must-win game, for different reasons,” he said. “When we don’t win, it is always a disappointment and a frustration, but we cannot run away from the reality of the table.
