Chelsea is Treating Me Like a Criminal – Diego Costa Finally Opens Up on Chelsea Crisis

Mere moments have passed since Sam Vokes headed Burnley into a 3-0 first half lead at Chelsea when there is a knock on the door at Diego Costa’s family home in north-eastern Brazil.

Sportsmail has arrived unannounced and uninvited but, standing on the doorstep of his childhood home, Chelsea outcast Costa puffs out his cheeks and shakes his head.

‘It’s going well for Chelsea, isn’t it?‘ he grimaces. ‘The red card changed the game but anyway, you’ve come a long way and I have nothing to hide. Come on in.’

So in we go, to be greeted with smiles and handshakes from Costa’s parents, Jose de Jesus and Josileide, and a small entourage of family friends.

His father, known as Zeinha, is the man who named his son after Diego Maradona while Costa’s elder brother is Jair, after Jairzinho, the Brazilian icon of the 1970 World Cup.

Perching himself on a chair in the garden, Costa smiles ruefully: ‘It’s been a strange summer.’ Strange is one word for it. 

After helping Chelsea to the Premier League title by scoring 20 goals in manager Antonio Conte’s first season at the club, Costa finds himself 5,000 miles from Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of the new campaign.

Costa’s summer began with a text message from Conte, informing him his Chelsea career was over. Costa has not been at Chelsea since the FA Cup final in May and, during a half-hour conversation, the striker delivers a blistering retort.

He accuses Chelsea of treating him ‘like a criminal’ and refuses to rule out legal action. He says he will always keep Conte’s text message on his phone and claims the Chelsea manager ‘lacks charisma’. Costa also accuses Conte of blocking his contract negotiations in January.

Costa says he has been fined several weeks’ wages but is defying demands to return to train with the reserves. The Spain international insists he wants a transfer to Atletico Madrid resolved this month and that, meanwhile, he is ready to see out his Chelsea contract unpaid and train alone near his home in Brazil.

Jose Mourinho, Costa’s former manager at Chelsea, once described Lagarto — the player’s hometown — as so remote that it sits ‘beyond the sunset’. Located 80 miles inland from the coastal city of Aracaju, the capital of the Brazilian state of Sergipe, it is a modest place of refuge.

Lagarto has just over 100,000 inhabitants and is known for its farms growing cassava (a root vegetable) and tobacco but Diego Costa is the biggest show in town.

A life-size graffiti mural of Costa in Chelsea blue gleams on one streetside wall. Over the past month, images have emerged of Costa going for a Jet Ski ride with his dog, attending the circus and partying in an Atletico shirt.

His family have never moved house. ‘Only renovated,’ he grins. ‘You don’t forget where you came from.’

The mantelpiece bears mementoes of life in England and Spain, including his trophy for making the PFA Team of the Year, man-of-the-match awards from games against Everton and Crystal Palace and the Zarra prize as the Spaniard who scored most goals in La Liga in 2014.

As the final moments of Chelsea’s 3-2 defeat by Burnley play out, his father peeks round the door. Zeinha shakes his head. Costa says: ‘They are two players down, to be fair, Dad.’ Another friend pops by: ‘Bring back Diego!’ he laughs. Costa grimaces.

As Chelsea chase the game, Costa’s intensity builds. David Luiz makes it 3-2 with two minutes left. Costa is off the settee and celebrating, dropping his phone.

First things first, Costa is not expecting an SOS plea from Conte to return. ‘No,’ he insists. ‘You know that the manager doesn’t want me. I am waiting for Chelsea to set me free. I didn’t want to leave. I was happy. When the manager does not want you, you have to go.

So Diego, where did it all go wrong? ‘I cannot speak for other people, only for myself. I had a great season. I fought in every game until the last moment.’

It was not always a rose-tinted picture at Stamford Bridge. In January, Sportsmail revealed that Costa had been embroiled in a training-ground row with fitness coach Julio Tous.

Conte attributed Costa’s absence from the next match at Leicester to a niggling back problem. ‘No, no, no,’ Costa insists. ‘That was a punishment for the attitude I had shown and for not behaving in the best way.’

Then rumours of a move to China surfaced. It was smoothed over but tensions simmered. Costa had been close to agreeing a new deal at the club.

Mention of the word charisma brings us to Mourinho and Costa smiles warmly: ‘Jose has called me, direct to my phone, just to check I am OK and to see how I am.

Costa takes out his mobile, responding to a friend. Here Costa is king, the boy made good but who never forgets his roots. He is buying land to launch his own football school that will be called Balon de Oro, after the Ballon d’Or, and he is working closely with the local authorities to improve lives for young people.

The 28-year-old striker works every day in the gym with a personal trainer and has been spotted spending his evenings playing Buraco, a card game similar to rummy, with friends.

‘What is happening now with Chelsea is sad,’ he says. ‘The text message — I understand it when a coach wants a different player. 

Costa insists Conte did not raise the issue with him after the 2-1 FA Cup final defeat by Arsenal. ‘No, no, no. There was no conversation or talks. Conte has his mentality. He thinks it’s the best way of working.

Costa may offer his gratitude to supporters but matters have threatened to turn nasty. His lawyer, Ricardo Cardoso, has warned that Costa will use ‘all legal mechanisms’ to force a transfer and alleged Conte’s conduct amounted to ‘discriminatory behaviour’.

Costa says legal proceedings are yet to begin, explaining: ‘At the moment, no. I want people to do things the right way.

Chelsea, he alleges, have reduced him to the status of a ‘criminal’. ‘They want me to be there training with the reserves. I wouldn’t be allowed access to the first-team dressing room and I would have no contact at all with the guys.

Costa’s defiance has already cost him. ‘They gave me a week extra off but since then it’s fines all the way. They want me training with the reserves. I am not going to do that. I am not a criminal and I am not in the wrong here. So, if they need to fine me, let them fine me. 

Would Costa ever return or would he consider a move to another English club? ‘If I have to I will stay in Brazil,’ he says.

‘I want the deal with Atletico resolved this month. My idea would be to go to Madrid, train there, get in the best physical shape and be ready to fire ahead of the World Cup.’

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Culled from: Dailymail UK