The Chelsea manager said Vertonghen’s behaviour was a “disgrace” and that he should get a three-match ban for “pretending he was injured” after a challenge with Torres that led to a second yellow card for the striker late in the sides’ 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
He added that Vertonghen should not have been eligible for the match in first place because he should have been sent off at Aston Villa last Tuesday.
Torres had been shown a first yellow card for tripping Vertonghen, after which he appeared to scratch the Belgian’s face, which in itself might have prompted a red card had it been seen by referee Mike Dean. Torres, who faces a one-match suspension for his dismissal, could yet receive a further three-match ban for the scratch, if the Football Association uses video evidence to review the incident.
Mourinho admitted the footage “does not look good” but launched an extended attack on Vertonghen’s integrity. “It looks worse when a player pretends he is injured,” Mourinho said. “I think, for me, that is the worst thing because you can lose your control. How many times have I done that? But he [Vertonghen] pushed the referee for a bad decision. Some foreign players when they come to England still keep their culture and it’s a disgrace you do that to a person from your same job.
“If I am on the committee I give three matches to this guy and say 'don’t do that again’. Don’t kill the show. It’s a show for millions of people and you kill the show because you want to be clever.”
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