Fenerbahce’s head coach Jose Mourinho, centre, follows the game during the Europa League soccer match between AZ Alkmaar and Fenerbahce at the AFAS stadium, in Alkmaar, Netherlands, Thursday (November 7, 2024).
| Photo Credit: AP
Jose Mourinho’s tirade in Turkey came at a cost.
The outspoken Fenerbahce coach has been banned for a game and fined following his diatribe about Turkish soccer, when he said he was fighting “the system” and suggested officials are biased against his team.
The Turkish Football Federation’s disciplinary board described Mourinho’s comments as unsportsmanlike and fined him 900,000 Turkish lira ($26,200) for questioning the impartiality of referees and other match officials.
The board banned the former Chelsea manager for one match and fined him 58,500 lira ($1,700) for unsportsmanlike conduct toward opposing fans. The ban also prevents Mourinho from entering his team’s locker room. He’s set to serve the ban Sunday (November 3, 2024) when Fenerbahce hosts Sivasspor.
Mourinho, who is in his first season at Fenerbahce, had said the Turkish league “smells bad” and questioned why any international fans would watch it. He said he wouldn’t have taken the job if club officials had told him “the whole truth” about how the league allegedly works.
The rant came Sunday (November 3, 2024) even though his team beat Trabzonspor 3-2 after scoring a winner in the 12th minute of stoppage time, leading to wild celebrations where the Portuguese coach ran onto the field and tried a knee slide that led to him tumbling face forward onto the grass.
On Thursday (November 7, 2024), Mourinho watched from the stands as Fenerbahce lost 3-1 at AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. He was serving a one-match ban after his red card against Manchester United.
At that time, the 61-year-old Mourinho said he would go coach a team that doesn’t play in a UEFA competition: “So you find a club in England from the bottom of the table (that) needs a coach in two years, I’m ready to go.”
Mourinho joined Fenerbahce in June, tasked with returning the club to the top. Fenerbahce hasn’t won the league title since 2014.
After 10 league games this season, Fenerbahce trails leader and archrival Galatasaray by five points.
Published – November 09, 2024 02:02 pm IST
