Mourinho Hit with Ban, Fine for Turkish Ref Comments

ISTANBUL, Turkey — Fenerbahce’s manager, Jose Mourinho, has been suspended for four matches and penalized by the Turkish Football Federation for remarks he made regarding Turkish referees after a goalless Super Lig match against Galatasaray.
The federation announced on Thursday that the 62-year-old Portuguese coach was fined 1.6 million Turkish lira ($44,000) following his critical comments during a press conference.
Mourinho already began serving his suspension during Fenerbahce’s Turkish Cup clash against Gaziantep, which they won 4-1 on Thursday, where he was absent from the bench.
According to reports, Fenerbahce has lodged an appeal against the four-match suspension. If the appeal does not succeed, Mourinho will be sidelined for the next three domestic matches.
In the interview after the match on Monday, Mourinho expressed his approval of the appointment of a foreign referee for the game, commending Slovenia’s Slavko Vincic for his excellent officiating.
Mourinho shared that he approached Vincic to thank him after the match, and commented to the fourth official, a Turkish referee, that his officiating would have been disastrous, had he been in charge.
He also mentioned that if a Turkish referee had been in charge, a particular challenge early in the match would have resulted in a yellow card due to exaggerated reactions from the opposing bench.
The Turkish Football Federation stated that Mourinho’s penalty arose from his “derogatory and offensive remarks” towards Turkish referees, as well as for promoting chaos and disorder within Turkish football.
The federation further claimed his comments went against sports ethics and could potentially incite violence and fan disorder.
In response to the actions taken, Fenerbahce released a statement defending Mourinho, arguing that his words were taken out of context and misrepresented.
Mourinho, formerly with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur, has faced fines and suspensions previously for similar comments about Turkish referees.
On a supportive note, former Chelsea player Didier Drogba came forward, stating that Mourinho is not racist, and citing his history as evidence.