Jose Mourinho Handed Four-Match Ban and £35,000 Fine Over Derby Comments

Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho has been hit with a four-match ban and fined over £35,000 for comments made about the refereeing team during a heated Istanbul derby against Galatasaray.

Following the match, Mourinho sparked controversy by suggesting that the game was better officiated because it did not have a Turkish referee. He also made remarks about the Galatasaray bench, stating they were “jumping like monkeys,” which led to strong backlash.

Galatasaray officially complained to UEFA and FIFA, prompting legal action from Fenerbahce over what they called “defamatory” accusations.

The Turkish Football Federation has now ruled on Mourinho’s case, imposing a two-match ban for his post-match discussion with the officials and an additional two-match suspension for his press conference comments.

A federation statement explained that Mourinho used “derogatory and offensive language” toward Turkish referees and accused Turkish football of being in “chaos and disorder.” For this, he was fined £2,542 (117,000 Turkish lira).

His press conference comments were deemed “contrary to fair play, divisive in society, and capable of inciting fan violence.” This resulted in a further £32,602 (1,500,000 Turkish lira) fine and another two-match ban.

Other sanctions from the fiery derby included fines for Mourinho’s coaching staff and a one-match ban for Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk, who mocked Mourinho by calling him “the crying one” and criticized the referee.

Additionally, Galatasaray will play their next home game with a reduced crowd due to “bad and ugly chanting,” while Fenerbahce fans will be banned from two away matches due to in-game fan disturbances.

Galatasaray was also fined £65,000 (3,000,000 Turkish lira) for a social media post condemning Mourinho’s