Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson has blasted referee Craig Pawson’s decision to send Jose Mourinho to the stands in the latter stages of Saturday’s clash with Southampton.
Red Devils boss Mourinho was punished by Pawson for encroaching onto the pitch in injury time of the Premier League fixture, which Man United won 1-0 courtesy of Romelu Lukaku’s sixth league goal of the campaign.
Robson, however, has claimed that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte have both previously escaped punishment for similar antics.
The 60-year-old has also claimed that he would be ‘amazed’ if Mourinho received any further punishment, with some reports suggesting that the Portuguese could now be facing a one-match touchline ban.
Robson told Man United’s official website:
“When I saw it on TV, I thought it was an absolute joke. I’ll be amazed if he gets a ban or a fine for that. I think the officials went way overboard by sending him to the stand.
“I don’t know what the officials are thinking about. Throughout the last year or so, I’ve seen managers like [Jurgen] Klopp and [Antonio] Conte run about like lunatics, out of their box, down the side of the pitch and not a thing has been made of it – it’s called passion for the team.
“But because Mourinho stepped just over the touchline, they sent him to the stands. It’ll be a disgrace if he gets fined or banned and made to watch games from the stands over the coming weeks.”
Man United’s 1-0 win at Southampton moved the 20-time English champions onto 16 points, which have been gathered courtesy of five wins and a draw in the early stages of the 2017-18 Premier League campaign.
The Red Devils will now switch their attention to the Champions League as they prepare to travel to Russian outfit CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night.
