Soccer-Reading reject Mourinho complaint over Cech treatment

By Clare Lovell

LONDON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was scathing on Tuesday about treatment keeper Petr Cech received at Reading after his weekend head injury, a complaint the home side were quick to reject.

"I think my goalkeeper was 30 minutes in the dressing room waiting for an ambulance. He had to go in a wheelchair in the lift," Mourinho said. "The ambulance could not go in the direction of the dressing room."

"If my goalkeeper dies in that process it's something that English football has to think about," he added.

Chelsea won the game at Reading 1-0 on Saturday after losing Cech and his reserve Carlo Cudicini to head injuries.

"I'd like someone to tell me why my goalkeeper was 30 minutes in the dressing room waiting for an ambulance," Mourinho told a Champions League news conference before Chelsea's Group A match at home to Barcelona on Wednesday.

Reading said Mourinho's remarks contained "very serious factual inaccuracies" and issued a timeline of events following the player's injury that required surgery on a skull fracture.

Cech was in the dressing room under the care of Chelsea medical staff for more than 20 minutes before they called for an ambulance when they realised his condition had worsened. He was in hospital less than half an hour later, Reading said on their official Web site.

Reading added: "Petr Cech was taken to the ambulance in a medical chair via a lift, but this was not a necessity.

"Another route to the ambulance could have been taken and was offered, which would have allowed Cech to remain on a stretcher (the same route used to take Carlo Cudicini to the ambulance later that afternoon), but Chelsea's medical staff decided against this."

A spokesman for the South Central Ambulance Service also rejected Mourinho's remarks and backed Reading, saying there were 26 minutes from being called out to reaching the hospital.

He also said a Chelsea doctor had made the decision not to use a stretcher.

Italian Cudicini, who landed badly after a mid-air collision with Reading's Ibrahima Sonko in stoppage time, was discharged from hospital on Saturday night.

Czech Republic keeper Cech, who collided with Reading forward Stephen Hunt in the openimg minute, is likely to be out of action for several months.

Mourinho reiterated his wish for a Football Association investigation into the incident and also wants an inquiry into the ambulance issue.

((Writing by Rex Gowar, editing by Dave Thompson, London Sports Desk; Reuters Messaging: rex.gowar.reuters.com@reuters.net; +44 207 542 3321))

Keywords: SPORT SOCCER CECH