Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has been banned for four matches and fined a total of £35,194 (approximately 1,503,000 Turkish Lira) by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) following comments made after Monday’s 0-0 draw against Galatasaray. The sanctions stem from two separate disciplinary charges.
The first charge relates to “derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee” and for accusing “Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees.” This resulted in a two-match ban from the dressing room and dugout, and a fine of 117,000 Turkish lira (£2,543).
The second charge, also carrying a two-match ban and a fine of £32,651, was for “an act against sportsmanship” during his post-match press conference. This charge specifically refers to Mourinho’s comments where he described the Galatasaray bench as “jumping like monkeys” following an early challenge, and his assertion that a Turkish referee would have issued a yellow card within the first minute and forced an early substitution.
The statement reads “the statements used towards the members of the opposing team were contrary to the ethics of sports and the concept of fair play, contained expressions that could encourage violence and disorder in sports, were divisive and separatist in society and could cause fan incidents”.
The TFF’s decision follows accusations of racism from Galatasaray, who had announced their intention to pursue legal action and file complaints with UEFA and FIFA. Fenerbahce, however, strongly defended Mourinho, claiming his comments were “completely taken out of context” and constituted a “pathetic slander.”
The match itself was officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, following a joint request from both clubs for a foreign official. However, the fourth official was Turkish, a point Mourinho raised in his criticism.
The bans and fines add further controversy to Mourinho’s tenure in Turkey, where he has previously been sanctioned for criticizing refereeing standards.
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