The Football Association has revealed Jose Mourinho was threatened with a stadium ban as fines do not prevent him from criticising referees, after the Chelsea manager attempted to blame his most recent indiscretion on an inability to master English.
Mourinho was found guilty of improper conduct for his post-match comments after Chelsea were defeated 3-1 by Southampton in the Premier League on October 3.
After the match, Mourinho had claimed referees were afraid to award penalties to Chelsea and insisted he did not care if the FA punished him, having previously indicated he received unfair treatment in comparison to other managers.
Three similar offences have seen Mourinho fined £10,000, £8,000 and £25,000 - his most recent indiscretion cost the Portuguese £50,000.
Falling foul of the FA again in the next 12 months will see Mourinho incur a one-match stadium ban.
"We note Mr Mourinho's observations in his letter that English is not his first language and that getting a genuine and fair point across in the way that was intended can be even more difficult for foreign managers like him," read the FA's written reasons behind the sanctions.
"However, his English is far too sophisticated for that to affect our conclusion, as the interviews themselves demonstrate.
"It appears to us that increasing levels of fine are not on their own going to be a reliable deterrent for Mr Mourinho against improper comments to the media.
"We have in mind particularly that the more than doubling of the January 2015 fine as compared with the May 2014 fine has not deterred him from this latest and more serious breach.
"In our judgment the fair way to impose this deterrent is to suspend the ban so that Mr Mourinho is able quite easily to avoid its ever coming into effect.
"The matter is in his hands. All he has to do is refrain from any further breach by media comments for the next 12 months, whereupon the ban will expire completely."
Mourinho is currently in Ukraine as Chelsea prepare to face Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League on Tuesday.
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