Jose Mourinho has been hit with a three-match ban for pinching the nose of Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk after his Fenerbahce side were beaten in a fiery Istanbul derby on Wednesday, April 2.
Mourinho’s side suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat in the quarter-final of the Turkish Cup, which led to a mass scuffle between both sets of players following the final whistle.
Galatasaray accused the self-proclaimed Special One of ‘physically attacking’ Buruk. They also lodged a criminal complaint with the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office which was dismissed last Friday.
The Professional Football Disciplinary Board said they had taken Buruk’s actions into consideration, resulting in Mourinho being given a reduced suspension.
Mourinho, 62, was also slapped with a 292,500 Turkish Lira (£5,955) fine.
Mourinho will now miss crucial Turkish Super Lig matches against Trabzonspor, Sivasspor, and Kayserispor, with his side trailing leaders Galatasaray by six points.
Fenerbahce declared Buruk had acted ‘as if he had been shot’ before alleging he had also made ‘disrespectful hand gestures’ to provoke Mourinho in the melee.
Salvatore Foti, Mourinho’s assistant, was given a four-match ban for an ‘insult towards an opposing team player’ while Fenerbache midfielder Mert Yandas, sent off during a stoppage time fracas, will serve a one-match suspension.
Fenerbahce have thrown their weight behind Mourinho despite his role in the unsightly post-match bust-up, saying they ‘are not here to play by old rules’.
Board member Fethi Pekin told Sky Sports: ‘Mourinho represents everything this club is aiming for. Ambition, courage, and a relentless desire to win.
‘He does not take losing as an option.
‘He is not here to coach 90 minutes of football. He is here to build a winning culture, and sometimes that means speaking up and standing firm in the face of provocation.
‘What happened in the recent derby match was not just a football rivalry. It was an orchestrated effort to provoke our bench, our squad, our players, and our manager.
‘Mourinho responded with a fire in himself and defiance of someone who refuses to be intimidated. And let me say this very, very, very clearly, as the board of Fenerbahce, we are fully behind Jose Mourinho.
‘We did not hire Mourinho to adapt to this system.
‘We hired him to raise the bar. And raising the bar makes people uncomfortable. That is fine. We are not here to play by old rules.’
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
