Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has had his four-match suspension reduced to two games following an appeal to the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
The suspension stemmed from comments made after a heated derby match against Galatasaray, where Mourinho was accused of racism.
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The controversy arose following a goalless draw, during which Mourinho reportedly made comments about the Galatasaray bench “jumping like monkeys.”
He also expressed satisfaction that the match was officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vrancic, rather than a Turkish official, a request made by both clubs.
The TFF initially imposed a four-match ban and a 1.6 million Turkish lira (£35,000) fine, citing Mourinho’s “derogatory and offensive statements” towards the Turkish fourth official and his accusations that Turkish football was in “chaos and disorder.”
The federation’s statement detailed Mourinho’s “insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees,” and his actions that “insulted the brand value of football activities in Turkey.”
Regarding the press conference comments, the TFF stated that Mourinho’s words “were not mandatory, 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, and it was deemed an act against sportsmanship.”
Following Mourinho’s appeal, the TFF has halved his suspension to two matches and reduced his fine to 558,000 Turkish lira (£12,200).
The fallout from the derby also saw sanctions imposed on both clubs.
Galatasaray will play their next home match without a section of fans due to “bad and ugly chanting,” while Fenerbahce will be banned from having away support for two matches due to “the severity of fan incidents on the pitch.”
Amidst the controversy, former players Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, who worked under Mourinho at Chelsea, defended the Portuguese manager.
Drogba stated, “I’ve seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho.
Trust me when I tell you I have known Jose for 25 years and he is not a racist and history (past and recent) is there to prove it.” Essien shared a photo of himself, Drogba, and Mourinho with three heart emojis.
