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Mourinho in UEFA hot water

Nyon - UEFA charged Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho with "unsporting conduct" on Thursday over allegations he ordered two players to get themselves sent off in a Champions League match.

UEFA's disciplinary committee will investigate Mourinho as well as players Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas and Jerzy Dudek. Their cases will be heard on November 30.

Mourinho appeared to send instructions from the bench before Alonso and Ramos received second yellow cards for time-wasting late in Tuesday's 4-0 win against Ajax in Amsterdam.

Their expulsions meant they should serve one-match suspensions in a meaningless group match against Auxerre next month, then start the knockout rounds in February with a clean slate.

On Tuesday, Mourinho dismissed the idea that he had orchestrated the bookings.

"I spoke with many players throughout the game, not only with Ramos and Alonso," Mourinho said after the match. "Stories sell, but the important thing is the 4-0 win and the fantastic game we had. Let's talk about that and not other things."

Mourinho has previously clashed with UEFA after incidents in the Champions League when he coached Chelsea.

UEFA banned Mourinho from the touchline for two matches in 2005 after he accused Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard of visiting Swedish referee Anders Frisk at halftime in the first leg of a round-of-16 clash.

Mourinho is in his first season with Madrid and aims to become the first coach to lead three different clubs to the European title. He guided FC Porto to the 2004 title, and Inter Milan last season.

Also on Thursday, UEFA said it opened a disciplinary case against Romanian champion Cluj for the improper conduct of its coach Sorin Cartu during a Champions League game at FC Basel.

Cartu kicked out a dugout panel, sending shards of plastic flying through the air during his team's 1-0 loss in Switzerland on Tuesday. He was then restrained by a club official.

The club said on Thursday it fired Cartu and apologized to UEFA, to Basel and "to all football and sports fans."

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