Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has apologised for the comments he
made about Andy Johnson after Sunday's Premiership clash between
the two sides.
Mourinho insinuated that the England international had tried to win
a penalty for his side by diving, but now admits he was in the
wrong.
"First I would like to say I have the utmost respect for Everton
Football Club, David Moyes and their players," Mourinho told
Chelsea's official website.
"That's why I love to play them, and especially at Goodison Park
where the atmosphere is magnificent.
"Secondly, after the match, I was clear and said Andy Johnson is a
great player and I never used aggressive words, like some managers
did against my players in previous seasons, or like some others
recently said about him and Ronaldo. I never used the word
cheat.
"After seeing it again on the video, Mr Halsey did wonderful work
and both decisions for penalties were correct.
"Did Andy Johnson try to avoid a collision with my goalkeeper? It
seems now the answer to that is yes so Everton, his manager and he
deserve my apologies."
Everton had urged the FA and the Premier League to act on
Mourinho's post-match comments.
The Blues boss had said: "He's dangerous for opponents because you
cannot trust him, and I was not happy with that.
"I've been in this country for three years now and I am influenced
by your culture. It is a country I admire, I am proud to be part of
it.
"In my country we call them 'intelligent' players. In other
countries you can use different words and are critical."
