Interim Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez once again refused yesterday to apologise for comments made about the London club’s fans while he was in charge of Liverpool.
Benitez was given a frosty reception by supporters upon his introduction as Chelsea boss during Sunday’s draw with Premier League champions Manchester City, fans unhappiness at the sacking of Champions League-winning manager Roberto di Matteo compounded by the appointment of the Spaniard as his successor.
And a large section of Chelsea support wants Benitez to say “sorry” for comments, taken to be a dig at the Blues.
Some of those words have been immortalised on the walls of Liverpool’s Melwood training ground.
“We do not need to give away flags for our fans to wave – our supporters are always there with their hearts and that is all we need. It’s the passion of the fans that helps to win matches – not flags.”
But Benitez, speaking ahead of the west London derby with Fulham tonight, insisted he would not be raking over the past and what mattered now was results, with Chelsea currently five points behind league leaders Manchester United.
“The problem is we can analyse what I said and didn’t say,” he said.
“We can’t be checking if it’s true or not. I’ll try my best to win their trust. That’s it.”
As for the comments now inscribed at Melwood, Benitez simply said: “I was praising the fans of my club, my team.
“But I’m here now, it’s my club, and I will do my best for them.”
As for the prospect of receiving more taunts from Chelsea fans, Benitez said: “To be fair, I don’t know.
“But I can say that, since coming here, I’ve worked really hard, coming in at 8.30am and leaving at 8.30 at night, doing my job, and trying to be ready for the game.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea expressed their “regrets” over the way they complained of racist abuse by referee Mark Clattenburg.
In a joint statement with referees’ body Professional Game Match Officials Limited and the Premier League, Chelsea admitted they should have “given more consideration” before making their allegation public.
Last week, the FA decided to take no disciplinary action whatsoever against Clattenburg following an investigation into Chelsea’s alle-gation he used “inappropriate language” against midfielder John Obi Mikel.