IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT JOSÉ Mourinho should rail against Mark Clattenburg having seen the Durham official book three Chelsea players for celebrating with supporters this year, but, by the letter of the law, the referee was right to show yellow cards to Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack on Saturday.

FA guidelines, on police advice, instruct referees to caution players who come into contact with fans while celebrating a goal, something Shevchenko and Ballack appeared to do. Arjen Robben was given a second yellow card and sent off by Clattenburg for a similar offence away to Sunderland last season.

Mourinho highlighted the fact that Clattenburg did not book Robin van Persie when he leapt over the advertising hoardings and approached the away fans after his second goal away to Charlton Athletic last month, but on that occasion the Arsenal striker did not touch supporters. Leaving the field of play is not a yellow card offence and Chelsea’s players may be being punished because of the tight confines of the Stamford Bridge playing area.

“At Stamford Bridge there is no space behind the goal, from the goal to the wall is three metres,” Mourinho said. “The players just approached the wall and if there was any contact with fans it was from one or two metres, but he booked Ballack and Shevchenko.”

It will come as no consolation but many will feel that Mourinho is right to complain about the inconsistent application of a rule that is widely misunderstood and serves little useful purpose. Indeed, as the dimensions of pitches and stadia vary dramatically, consistent refereeing may remain elusive.

“Some players are booked for that and other players are not booked, that’s the biggest problem,” Mourinho said. “The referee should explain why Van Persie can do it and why Chelsea players cannot do it. Why Robben last season saw a red card against Sunderland and why other players can do the same or even worse. If somebody tells that everybody cannot leave the white lines, not a single inch, then I accept. But it has to be the same for everybody.”