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Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has refused to comment following the FA’s decision to ban Eric Dier for four matches and fine him £40,000, claiming he will not answer as he would get into trouble.
Dier was in hot water after the Tottenham defender jumped into the crowd and confronted a supporter following their defeat to Norwich in the FA Cup back in March.
Now Dier has learned his fate following the altercation and he will miss the next four matches, including Tottenham’s crunch North London Derby with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Eric Dier has been hit with a four-game ban and fined £40,000 for jumping into the stands
Tottenham’s Dier climbed into the crowd to angrily confront a fan after the loss to Norwich
And on Wednesday afternoon, when Mourinho was asked whether the punishment was too harsh during his press conference ahead of Thursday’s clash with Bournemouth, the Tottenham manager responded: ‘I’m not going to answer.
‘If I answer I am going to be in trouble and I don’t want to be, so I have no comments about that.’
Mourinho recently said that he did not expect Dier to receive any punishment after the FA chose not to sanction Arsenal’s Matteo Guendouzi for grabbing Brighton striker Neal Maupay around the neck.
The former Manchester United manager cited Guendouzi’s recent incident to further address his frustration with the situation.
But on Wednesday, Mourinho admitted he shouldn’t have spoken about Guendouzi’s incident.
‘I spoke about both situations a few weeks ago. I spoke about Guendouzi and probably I shouldn’t because he is not my player and probably I have no right to comment about others.
‘In relation to Eric, I spoke enough two years ago when the situation happened. And also a couple of weeks ago when one of you asked me about the situation.’
Speaking originally about the decision not to sanction the Arsenal midfielder, Mourinho said: ‘I think they made a decision when Guendouzi grabbed the other guy by his neck. The decision was made in that moment.’
Dier (centre) says he was defending his brother Patrick (far left, pictured on a 2018 holiday)
Dier is seen pointing at the fan before trying to make his way towards him after the game
The fan involved at the centre of the incident was then videoed running away from Dier
Following March’s incident, England international Dier claimed he had left the pitch and entered the stands, clambering over rows of seats, in an attempt to protect his brother who he noticed had become involved in an argument with an angry fan.
Dier, 26, admitted his actions were ‘improper’ but denied that they were also ‘threatening’ – the incident happened at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 4 after Spurs had been beaten on penalties by Norwich in the FA Cup fifth round.
The England international has been sanctioned by the Football Association on a charge of misconduct for the incident, and will now miss all but one of Tottenham’s remaining Premier League games.
There was no physical exchange and the matter was not pursued by the Metropolitan Police after a brief investigation.
However, the FA has opted to punish Dier for a breach of rule E3, and Dier has also been warned about his future conduct.
‘An independent Regulatory Commission subsequently found Eric Dier’s actions to be threatening,’ the FA concluded in a statement.
Arsenal midfielder Matteo Gunedouzi escaped a ban after grabbing Neal Maupay by the throat
Dier was held back by club security as he looked to get to the fan that had left him incensed
He will now be out of action for Spurs’ games against Bournemouth, Arsenal, Newcastle, and Leicester and available again for the final-day trip to Crystal Palace on July 26.
Just after the incident on the night, Mourinho said: ‘This person insulted Eric, the family was there, the young brother was not happy with the situation then Eric did what we professionals cannot do but we probably would do.
‘When somebody insults you and your family is there and they get involved with the person insulting him I think Eric Dier did what we professionals cannot do but probably what everyone of us would do.
‘The supporters that are in this privileged position, in this area of the tunnel, of course some are Tottenham fans but also a lot of corporate [fans], invitations and people with special status.
‘It is probably the place in the stadium I sometimes have doubts if they are real Tottenham fans because these ones were the ones who supported the boys.’
Dier’s absence will be a blow for Spurs in their pursuit of European football next season as he has been an impressive performer in central defence since the season restarted last month.
Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho will be enraged by losing Dier at the end of the season
The 26-year-old, who has been with Spurs since signing from Sporting Lisbon in 2014, is close to signing a new deal with the club, and Mourinho last week confirmed that all parties are wanting to secure the midfielder’s future at the club.
He added: ‘My boss Mr Levy tells me that he wants Eric to sign a new contact and Eric tells me that he’s more than happy here, more than happy with his situation, especially now that he feels we have a certain idea for him and the deal.
‘And he tells me also that he wants very much to stay. So I hope that we can find an agreement because I’m trying to take the team in a certain direction and when I try to develop a player in the team it’s because I’m waiting for a player to stay with us.’
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