UEFA slaps fine on Mourinho

Madrid : UEFA, Europe’s football governing body, has slammed a fine and two-match suspension in the Champions League on Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for improper conduct in a soccer match recently.

The punitive action on Mourinho came at a time when he was still being haunted by Real 0-5 rout to FC Barcelona in the La Liga derby.

Mourinho, who has denied the allegations, was fined ?33,500 for allegedly appearing to instruct Xavi Alonso and Sergio Ramos to attempt to receive second yellow cards in last week’s 4-0 win at Ajax.

However, the two-match ban on Mourinho is suspended for three years.

Besides Mourinho, two Real players- Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos- were found guilty of improper conduct relating to the pair’s recent dismissals against Ajax.

Alonso and Ramos were also fined by European football’s governing body.

Real have expressed surprise that UEFA’s investigation conclusion that Alonso and Ramos deliberately incurred the red cards.

They were both sent from the field for time-wasting, meaning they would be banned from group G winners Real’s next match against Auxerre.

Alonso and Ramos were fined ?16,700, while goalkeeper Iker Casillas and his reserve Jerzy Dudek were also fined after being captured on television apparently passing messages to them from the dugout.

Portuguese coach Mourinho will only be suspended for the second match if he is again found guilty of improper conduct in the next three years. Real can appeal in three days.

When Mourinho coached Chelsea, an England side, UEFA banned him from the touchline for two matches in 2005 after he accused Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard of visiting Swedish referee Anders Frisk at half time.