Jose Mourinho banned for 10 days at the start of the season after comments about referee Daniele Chiffi

Jose Mourinho will serve a 10-day ban at the start of the 2023/24 season following comments he made about referee Daniele Chiffi. 

The Roma boss was fiercely critical of the official for his performance in the Giallorossi's 1-1 draw against Monza in May, claiming post-match that he had worn a microphone to "protect" himself, having already been sent off three times during the Serie A campaign for disagreements with referees. 

Mourinho was booked during the contest and ranted afterwards: "I went to the game with a microphone. I recorded everything.

"From the moment I left the locker room to the moment I returned, I protected myself.

"He [Chiffi] is the worst. Technically he's horrible. Zero empathy. Zero communication. Zero awareness.

"A second yellow to a guy [Zeki Celik] who slips in the 96th minute... I stopped working 20 to 30 minutes from the end because I knew he would give me a red card for anything.

"I didn't give him the opportunity. I decided: 'No, that's enough.'"

The ban starts "from the first day of the next relevant championship", according to the Italian FA, and follows the four-match UEFA suspension Mourinho received for his behaviour towards Anthony Taylor during the Europa League final, with the Premier League official and his family verbally abused at Budapest International Airport before boarding a flight out of Hungary. 

Roma are competing in Europe's second tier during the upcoming season after Paulo Dybala's contentious late penalty saw the capital club beat Spezia 2-1, finishing sixth to see off Juventus, who had to make do with a place in the Europa Conference League. 

The first weekend of the Serie A season will start on 19 August, but the fixture list for Italy's top tier has yet to be announced.