Jose Mourinho, the manager of Fenerbahce, has been handed a four-match suspension and fined by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) following controversial remarks he made about Turkish referees after a recent match against Galatasaray.
The TFF announced on Thursday that Mourinho, 62, was fined 1.6 million Turkish lira (approximately $44,000) after he publicly criticized the officials in a post-match press conference. This followed a goalless draw in the Super Lig on Monday.
Mourinho served the first match of his suspension on Thursday, as he was absent from the touchline during Fenerbahce’s 4-1 victory over Gaziantep in the Turkish Cup.
According to Sky Sports News, Fenerbahce has appealed the ban, meaning Mourinho could miss three more domestic matches if the appeal is not successful.
In his post-match comments, Mourinho had praised the decision to bring in a foreign referee, specifically lauding Slovenian official Slavko Vincic for his “excellent performance.” However, he took aim at Turkish officials, saying that when he encountered the fourth official—who was Turkish—he remarked: “If you are the referee… it would be a disaster.”
The Portuguese manager further criticized the officiating, suggesting that a Turkish referee would have issued a yellow card for an early challenge in the match, referring to it as a “big dive” and mocking the opposing team’s bench for their overreaction.
The Turkish Football Federation justified the suspension and fine, citing Mourinho’s “derogatory and offensive statements” toward Turkish referees. The TFF stated that the comments violated sportsmanship principles, potentially encouraging violence, disorder, and fan unrest.
The sanction marks a significant fallout from Mourinho’s outspoken criticism of the domestic officiating, with the appeal set to determine his availability for Fenerbahce’s upcoming matches.
