Andre Villas-Boas has risked his own punishment, after lashing out at the FA for its lenient treatment of Fernando Torres.
Chelsea striker Torres avoided extra punishment for scratching Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen in the face, during the drawn London derby at White Hart Lane last weekend.
Torres was sent off for picking up two yellow cards for his rolling dispute with Vertonghen. But Villas-Boas was incensed that the Spaniard was not sanctioned further, despite the damning video evidence of his nasty face gouge.
Torres- who is injured and will miss three weeks of football anyway- is only suspended for one game, and AVB is furious about it, labelling the FA’s decision “farcical” and a “joke”.
"I think the FA has made a decision almost a joke,” the Spurs boss said ahead of his team’s Europa League clash with Anzhi Makhachkala on Thursday.
“It looks incredible. How can you see the images, pretty clear, and come out without punishment, on something [which] overtakes all professional behaviour? I think the decision is a disgrace. If the committee can't solve such clear images I don't think it sets out a good first example.
"I think the FA has lost all opportunity to put some sense into the images everybody saw. I'm extremely grateful for ex-refs to be able to enlighten people a little bit more, though I think most of you guys saw the incident as something that is not tolerable in football."
Not surprisingly, AVB’s Chelsea counterpart, Jose Mourinho, does not think Torres should have punished for gouging.
Instead, he has focused on Vertonghen’s apparent play-acting that led to Torres’ second yellow card as the major crime during the derby.
"I was more than confident [that Torres would escape sanction] because I think the FA defends the interest and culture of English football," he said.
"And defending English football is not to protect people who cheat and simulate."
Read: Torres Courts Face Scratch Trouble
Read: Relieved Mou, Dismayed Torres
Watch: Torres claws at Vertonghen’s face
