Jose Mourinho handed 4-match ban & fine by Turkish Football Federation

The Portuguese manager has also been accused by Galatasaray of making racist comments.

Following remarks he made regarding Turkish officials after a game against rivals Galatasaray, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho received a fine. Moreover, he has been given a four-match suspension by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) on Thursday.

The 62-year-old Portuguese was fined 1,617,000 Turkish lira ($44,000) by the TFF for his criticism of the match officials during a press conference after Monday’s 0-0 Super Lig tie against Galatasaray.

“Derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee” and charges for chaos & breaking the rules in Turkish football were the reasons for the penalties, according to the TFF.

“The performance of the referee was a top performance,” Mourinho said earlier blatantly.

”Anyone, not just from this country but also abroad, watched a big football match. I think the man responsible for that was the referee.”

When questioned about an early-game incident involving his 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek, Mourinho responded as follows:

”Again, I have to thank the referee because with a Turkish referee after the big dive and the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on top of the kids.”

“A Turkish referee would have [given Akcicek] a yellow card after one minute, and after five minutes I would have to change him.”

Mourinho will be reported to FIFA and UEFA by Galatasaray, who have threatened to “initiate criminal proceedings” for what they described as “racist statements.”

Following this, many players who played under Mourinho came in support of him as they felt that the former Real Madrid manager’s comments towards Galatasaray were never intended to be racist.

“How can my “Dad” be a racist”Didier Drogba responds to recent comments about Jose Mourinho. pic.twitter.com/NlBV6PHNuf

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) February 26, 2025

In a statement released on Tuesday, Fenerbahce defended Mourinho, claiming that his remarks were purposefully misrepresented and taken out of context. The club declared that it intended to file a lawsuit “against this baseless accusation.”

The former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Mourinho has received a fine and suspension for his remarks on Turkish match officials previously as well.

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