Rafa Benitez rants about Chelsea fans following FA Cup win

Following Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the FA Cup this evening, Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez launched an incredible attack on the fans.

Benitez was an unpopular choice at Stamford Bridge largely due to his time as Liverpool boss when he claimed that Chelsea fans lacked passion and was involved in several heated games in the Champions League.

Since arriving at the club the fans have made their feelings on his appointment very clear by singing anti-Benitez songs and bringing “Rafa out” banners to games every week.

“They are wasting time with their banners and songs,” said Benitez tonight. “They don’t need to worry about me. I leave at end of the season. These Chelsea fans have an agenda. These Chelsea fans are damaging the image of the club. I’m experienced. I’ve won the Champions League, the Spanish league twice, the FA Cup. They (fans) are a group with an agenda. They must get behind the team or they will be in the Europa League next season.”

Benitez has the lowest win percentage of any manager during the Roman Abramovich era and since he got the job Chelsea have slipped from 4 points behind the league leaders to 19 points behind. There have been reports that his relationship has broken down with the players which has only served to perpetuate rumours that he might not even last until the end of the season at Stamford Bridge.

Benitez may have speeded his exit along tonight as it wasn’t just the fans who he attacked in the press conference, but the board too, after the decision was made to call him the “interim” manager, making it clear that his post was only intended to last until the end of the season.

“Why put ‘interim’ in title?” he said. “Why did they need to do that? Maybe they thought: ‘He was at Liverpool so we put ‘interim’ in’.”

Benitez is no stranger to having a rant though, with his most famous coming back in 2009 when Liverpool were top of the league, and he chose to attend a pre-match press conference with a list of “facts” about rival manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Liverpool preceded the pick up just 10 points from the next available 21 and United raced ahead, going on to equal Liverpool’s record of 18 titles. “He’s cracking up, he’s cracking up, he’s cracking, Rafa’s cracking up” the United fans used to chant. I imagine we’ll be hearing the same from Chelsea fans at the weekend…