Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has been slapped with a four-match ban and a substantial fine by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) following his post-match comments about Turkish referees after a heated draw against Galatasaray.
The TFF announced on Thursday that the 62-year-old Portuguese coach was fined 1.6 million Turkish lira ($A70,803) for his remarks made during a media conference following Monday’s 0-0 Super Lig stalemate.
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Mourinho’s suspension began immediately, with him absent from the bench during Fenerbahce’s 4-1 Turkish Cup victory over Gaziantep on Thursday.
The controversy stems from Mourinho’s post-match interview where he praised the performance of Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, who officiated the Galatasaray match.
However, he also made critical comments about Turkish referees, stating that a Turkish official would have reacted differently to a challenge early in the game, suggesting they would have issued a yellow card after a perceived dive and “their bench jumping around like monkeys.”
He also revealed he told the fourth official, a Turkish referee, “If you are the referee … would be a disaster.”
The TFF cited “derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee” and accusations of chaos and disorder in Turkish football as the reasons for the ban and fine.
They stated that Mourinho’s comments violated sporting ethics, promoted violence and disorder, and had the potential to incite fan incidents.
Fenerbahce has responded strongly to the TFF’s decision, with Alper Alpoglu, the club’s executive board member in charge of legal affairs, confirming to Turkey’s state-run broadcaster TRT Spor that they will appeal the four-game ban.
The club contends that Mourinho’s comments were taken out of context and deliberately distorted.
The incident has ignited a debate about refereeing standards in Turkish football, with Mourinho’s strong opinions adding fuel to the ongoing discussion.
The appeal process will be closely watched to see if Fenerbahce can overturn the TFF’s decision.
