The Football Association’s decision not to punish the Ivorian for an alleged kick on Ricky van Wolfswinkel sends the wrong message, according to the Portuguese

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has criticised the Football Association (FA) for refusing to retrospectively punish Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure.

The Ivorian appeared to kick out at Norwich City’s Ricky van Wolfswinkel during Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Carrow Road but received no punishment at the time from referee Jonathan Moss.

An FA panel subsquently agreed that the former Barcelona star had done no wrong but Mourinho believes that the ruling has sent the wrong message and may lead players to be more violent on the pitch.

“That means you can do anything you want,” Mourinho told reporters.

“If the FA make the rule that action can be taken if a referee has missed something, they have to apply that rule.

“If Toure is not suspended, the message is clear: the players can do what they want if the referee doesn’t see.

“Normally, if the FA defends football, he’d have to be suspended or it’s the same for everyone: if the referee doesn’t see, I can do whatever I want, whether the cameras see it or not.”

Mourinho’s war of words with City boss Manuel Pellegrini continued on Monday as he hit back in their argument over the clubs’ respective finances and the Portuguese observed that his counterpart is not as detached from managerial mind-games as he suggests.

The 51-year-old remarked: “The funny thing is that he keeps saying he never responds to Mourinho, he never comments about Mourinho, but he does!

“He said that in Spain, too. So he’s changed.”