Jose Mourinho, head coach of Fenerbahce, has been given a four-match ban and fined more than £35,000 for his comments following a heated derby against Galatasaray earlier this week. The controversial remarks, made during a press conference, included criticizing the Galatasaray bench by saying they were “jumping like monkeys,” and suggesting that the match was better because it wasn’t officiated by a Turkish referee. These comments led to accusations from Galatasaray, who filed official complaints with UEFA and FIFA, while Fenerbahce also announced plans to take legal action over what they called “defamatory” statements.
The Turkish Football Federation has now imposed a two-match ban on Mourinho for his comments towards the match officials. According to the federation, he approached the match referee after the game and made derogatory remarks about Turkish football, accusing it of chaos and disorder. His offensive statements were seen as insulting to both Turkish referees and the football community. Mourinho was also fined £2,542 (117,000 Turkish lira) for these actions.
Additionally, the federation imposed another two-match ban on Mourinho and a more substantial fine of £32,602 (1,500,000 Turkish lira) for his remarks in the press conference, which were deemed to be against sportsmanship, contrary to fair play, and potentially inciting violence and division.
Other sanctions were also handed down following the clash. Mourinho’s coaching staff received fines, while Galatasaray’s manager, Okan Buruk, was given a one-match ban and a fine for criticizing Mourinho and the referee. Galatasaray will also play their next home match without a section of fans due to inappropriate chanting, and Fenerbahce will play two matches without away support due to severe fan incidents. Furthermore, Galatasaray was fined £65,000 (3,000,000 Turkish lira) for their social media post criticizing Mourinho’s remarks, and the club’s president, Dursun Ozbek, was penalized with a 34-day denial of rights.