Furious Jose Mourinho has instructed his Roma players to start diving more.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss was sent off for dissent after referee Daniele Chiffi dismissed calls for a penalty during his team's 1-0 Serie A defeat to Atalanta on Sunday. Footage showed Mourinho being restrained by his backroom staff in reaction to the non-award, with the manager convinced there had been a foul on Nicolo Zaniolo in the box.
Mourinho's rage had not subsided by full-time, however, as he claimed the referee told him a penalty wasn't awarded because Zaniolo didn't hit the deck. As a solution, the Portuguese revealed he's now told his players to start throwing themselves to the floor or, in other words, to "be a clown". "There was a very clear penalty," Mourinho said. "I asked the referee afterwards why, and asked him to be clear with me that it was because Zaniolo did not go down.
"So therefore I have to change my advice to my players, I have to tell them don't try to stay on your feet, don't play the ball, be a clown the way many who dive like they're in a swimming pool do in this league, because that is evidently how you get penalties."
