Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he was "hopping mad" yesterday about the violent scenes that followed Turkey's 4-2 World Cup play-off win over Switzerland in Istanbul, a match that saw the home side eliminated on the away-goals rule. Fifa has launched an investigation.

"Something in football is not working," he said, "I've never seen anything like it. All those who were involved will be on the list of people who will be questioned. I can tell you this, not as a Swiss, but as the president of Fifa, that we will act here and we will act tough. This was anti-fair play."

During the melee, Swiss defender Stephane Grichting, an unused substitute, was allegedly kicked so hard in the groin that his urinary tract was perforated. The player reportedly had a catheter inserted during a hospital visit.

Switzerland's Benjamin Huggel kicked the Turkey assistant coach Mehmet Ozdilek before even entering the tunnel, where the worst violence occurred, and Turkish defender Alpay was pictured booting Swiss striker Marco Streller.

"It's a scandal," said the Swiss coach, Kobi Kuhn. "We saw Turkish police in the tunnel preventing (local television) from filming what was going on."

Sekip Mosturoglu, vice-president of the Turkish football federation, was not happy at Blatter's comments. "It is an extremely unfortunate statement. This was not a one-sided event."

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho has told friends that if Roman Abramovich were to interfere in team affairs he would quit Chelsea.

Mourinho scoffed at reports yesterday suggesting that the Russian's chief lieutenant, Eugene Tenenbaum, was sent to interrogate coaching staff about the reasons for the team's recent difficulties. As the manager was in Portugal at the time, he would have considered such an inquiry to be a flagrant challenge to his authority.

"If Jose thought this had happened he would pack his bags, go to see Abramovich and leave immediately," said a source close to the Chelsea manager, adding that Mourinho's principal coaches and scouts had also taken advantage of the break to return to Portugal.

Indeed, Mourinho is confident in his relationship with Abramovich. Chelsea's owner loaned Mourinho a private jet this month so that he could attend his daughter's birthday party in his home town of Setubal and still return to London by 9pm.

Gillingham are in deep trouble, though their chairman, Paul Scally, says: "We appear to be over the worst of our problems."

Scally has persuaded the club's bank not to call in the administrators by agreeing to cost-cutting measures designed to reduce the League One club's debt from around £9.5 million.

Diego Forlan will not reappear at Old Trafford for the Champions League clash with Villareal on Tuesday after aggravating a hamstring injury early in Uruguay's home leg of the World Cup play-off they eventually lost to Australia in a penalty shoot-out. The striker, who joined Villarreal from Manchester United in August, is expected to be out for a month.

Rangers head of security Laurence Macintyre has pleaded with the club's supporters to be on their best behaviour when they return to Parkhead in the Scottish Premier League tomorrow.

During the recent League Cup quarter-final, 26 people were arrested for sectarian offences.

Rangers supporters accused the police of unfairly targeting them, but Macintyre has asked fans to be ambassadors for the club.

He told the club's website: "The police match commander has made it absolutely clear at a meeting attended by Rangers, Celtic and the SPL that his strict enforcement policy, particularly in relation to breaches of the peace aggravated by religious prejudice, will not be relaxed.

"It is clear, too, that the media will be particularly interested in how both sets of fans behave and fans should avoid adverse publicity for the club and themselves."

Rangers legend Ally McCoist was at Murray Park to watch the players train yesterday, but he has reluctantly rejected Alex McLeish's request to join his backroom staff.

The former Ibrox striker has had to turn down the chance of a dramatic return because he cannot put his "heart and soul" into the job because of his television commitments.

McCoist, who has been helping Walter Smith with the Scotland squad, said: "I'm afraid it's simply not possible for me to do anything at Rangers at this moment because I wouldn't be able to put my heart and soul into it.

"I'd be cheating Alex, the players, the fans, the club and myself.

"It's too big an opportunity for someone like myself to take on a part-time basis."

Guardian Service