Mourinho cops three match 'handcuff' ban

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ROME, Feb 22, 2010 (AFP) - Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho was on Monday hit with a three-match ban for insulting officials and making a 'handcuffs' gesture during Saturday's Serie A match against Sampdoria.

The former Chelsea manager was also fined 40,000-euros by the Italian sporting justice.

And the sanctions didn't stop there for Inter as Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba, both sent off against Sampdoria, were banned for one match each while Muntari Sulley and Esteban Cambiasso copped two-game suspensions.

Muntari's was for "repeatedly insulting officials" while Cambiasso has been sanctioned for "trying to punch a Sampdoria player during the interval."

But it is Mourinho, the bete noir of the Italian press, who has suffered the most.

His punishment was for "having repeatedly contested the referee's decisions during the course of the game with dramatic behaviour including ... the handcuffs gesture ... (and) for having insulted the referee and his assistants during the interval."

Inter immediately expressed their intention to appeal against the sanctions imposed on Mourinho, Cambiasso and Muntari.

President Massimo Moratti added: "We weren't expecting something like that."

Mourinho refused to speak to the press after the Sampdoria game and has not explained his gesture but Moratti earlier on Monday offered a possible reason.

"What does it mean? He (Mourinho) did it, he knows and it's up to him to explain it. Maybe he meant that they want to stop us," said Moratti, without adding further illumination.

Mourinho's agent Eladio Parames claimed it was just a misunderstanding.

"It didn't have anything to do with the referee. It meant something else: 'you can take me away or arrest me but my team is so good they'll win anyway, even if we're playing with nine men'," he said.

Mourinho has often found himself in hot water with Italian football authorities since arriving here ahead of the beginning of last season but this is his stiffest punishment yet.

In December he was fined 13,000-euros for insulting a journalist while twice already this season he's been suspended for a match after being dismissed, against Cagliari and Juventus.

Last season too he was twice sent off and banned for a game.

This event continues the fractious relationship Mourinho has with his adopted home which he has regularly criticised.

The Portuguese coach has in the past suggested there is a conspiracy against his team and he was fined 18,000 euros following last month's Milan derby after claiming everything had been done to try to make his team lose - they had two men sent off and AC Milan were awarded a penalty, but still Inter won 2-0.

Twice this season they have finished a match with nine men while Mourinho has also had cause to complain about the re-scheduling of fixtures to the advantage of city rivals Milan.

He has also riled many involved in Italian football for comments about his desire to return to work in England and how everything from refereeing, to supporters to fair-play in England are superior to that in Italy.

Inter sit five points clear at the top of the Serie A table but Mourinho will now have a selection headache ahead of this weekend's trip to Udinese, in particular in defence.

With two centre-backs suspended and two others injured, as well as full-back Davide Santon, Mourinho is left with only Brazilians Lucio and Maicon as senior defenders and will be forced to play either two midfielders or youth team players.

But with two central midfielders also suspended and two others forced to drop back, that would then leave him with a problem in midfield as well.

But in the meantime he will have the respite of a Champions League engagement against Chelsea on Wednesday.