Jose Mourinho continues attack on Financial Fair Play rules

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has repeated his call for clubs who breach European governing body UEFA`s Financial Fair Play rules to be stripped of their titles and docked points.

"I don`t think a team can be champions when you are punished because you didn`t comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP)," Mourinho said in comments reported by the BBC on Friday, which many will see as a thinly-veiled attack on Premier League rivals Manchester City.

Manuel Pellegrini`s side won the title last year, but were also fined, had their transfer spending restricted and told not to exceed their salary bill for breaching the rules, which are designed to prevent clubs from running up losses.

"I enjoy the challenge of the English competition," Mourinho added. "The only thing that is not nice is that you compete against the ones who don`t follow the same rules.

"Our work to keep the team strong, with possibility to compete against the ones financially more powerful or against the ones who don`t care and don`t respect Financial Fair Play... we had to work very, very hard."

Chelsea were heavily funded by billionaire Roman Abramovich when he bought the club in 2003, but posted a 18.4 million pound ($28.05 million) profit for the year ending last June, the largest since the Russian took over.

Mourinho`s outburst is the second time in five months he has attacked the FFP policy, saying last September he thought UEFA should not institute fines but be more punitive by stripping titles and docking points, while he also criticised Pellegrini and Manchester City last February over the issue.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also said last year clubs who breach the FFP should be banned from the lucrative Champions League competition.

Chelsea hold a five-point lead over Manchester City in the Premier League title race.