Didier Drogba could face a Football Association
investigation into claims he deliberately got booked in order to
manage the timing of his suspensions. The FA have noted the Chelsea
striker's comments from his forthcoming autobiography, which were
printed in the News World on Sunday, with
interest.
However, no action will be taken by the authorities until the
book is published in England in July. An FA spokesman said: "We
would like to wait to see the comments in their full context before
deciding on any further action." The potential controversy
surrounds the Ivorian's claim that he used to collude with former
Blues manager Jose Mourinho and get himself yellow-carded at
convenient times.
By doing so, the pair were able to ensure that the former
Marseille frontman sat out pre-selected matches under the
cumulative bookings system. "Mourinho calculated everything - he
looked at the match programme and analysed the cards each of his
lads had received," Drogba said in his book.
"He sometimes whispered to me, 'It would be good for you to get
a yellow card today. You would miss such-and-such a match. I will
give you four free days.'
"No problem. I used to do as he said. "That allowed me to pay
myself a little trip to Dubai. It was a modern way of treating work
and the individual."