Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho has led a chorus of dismay among Chelsea’s title rivals about the festive fixture schedule after accusing the English Premier League of “choosing to give rest for some and to create problems for others”.
Premier League leaders Chelsea play three games in 10 days whereas Manchester United, Manchester City and Spurs play three matches in eight days and Liverpool have three fixtures in seven days.
Chelsea – who are six points clear in the title race and have no European football to contend with this season – also have longer rest periods between matches and comparatively short distances to travel whereas Arsenal, whose manager Arsene Wenger has also denounced the schedule, play two games in three days at the start of the new year.
Mourinho did not name Chelsea but it was clear the United manager had his former club in mind as he launched a fresh attack on the fixture list.
The Portuguese has already complained publicly this season about the scheduling of United’s Premier League matches either side of Europa League ties.
“The busy period is for some clubs, not for everyone,” Mourinho said.
“If you analyse the fixtures there is no congestion for them. It looks like the fixtures are chosen to give rest for some and to create problems to others.
“But we are used to it because we are in the Europa League and the Europa League is a competition that creates more difficulties.”
Meanwhile, Mourinho has said Morgan Schneiderlin has asked to leave Old Trafford and that he will not stand in the France midfielder’s way if an acceptable offer is forthcoming.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")