The Portuguese coach said the defender’s actions had no place in the Premier League after an incident that saw a Spurs star sent off
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has lambasted Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger for his role in Heung-min Son’s sending off in Sunday’s game between the sides, which his team lost 2-0.
Son was sent off after VAR review for kicking out at the German defender, but Mourinho claimed Rudiger had made the most of the incident.
Both players were the recipients of alleged racial abuse in the aftermath of the decision.
The former Chelsea manager said that Rudiger’s behaviour had no place in the English game.
“The focus should be on Antonio Rudiger and not on Son,” Mourinho said in a press conference.
“In the Premier League I love there is no space also for what Rudiger did. Stand up and play, man.
“This is the Premier League. You go to Latin America, Portugal, Spain, Italy and that happens, it is a cultural thing, but not in the Premier League.
“And the moment we try to punish the reaction of some player – an insignificant reaction – and you let the other one go, then you become part of it.
“Come on, do you think Rudiger plays the next game? Or do you think he’s injured? I think he plays. And we speak about Son and don’t speak about him [Rudiger].”
Son, who has been sent off on two other occasions this year, though one was overturned, now faces a three-match ban.
Spurs confirmed they intend to appeal and their manager argued his man would be unjustly punished five times if the decision was upheld.
“I hope Son is not punished five times,” Mourinho said.
“One time was the foul that Rudiger did on him. The second is to be sent off. The third would be not to play against Brighton. The fourth not to play against Norwich and the fifth not to play against Southampton.
“So I hope to be punished twice is enough, he doesn’t deserve for the third, the fourth or the fifth.”
Had Spurs won they would have leapfrogged Chelsea into fourth place, but their second Premier League defeat under Mourinho set them back, as would the absence of Son for games against Brighton, Norwich City and Southampton over the festive period.
