In a heated Turkish Cup match on Wednesday, Jose Mourinho was filmed appearing to pinch the nose of Galatasaray’s coach, Okan Buruk, following the elimination of his Fenerbahce team. The video, which quickly gained traction on social media, shows Mourinho reaching out from behind Buruk, making contact, and Buruk subsequently falling and clutching his face. Mourinho was then led away from the scene.
The match, held at Fenerbahce’s stadium, saw three players being sent off as Galatasaray clinched a 2-1 victory. Reflecting on the incident, Buruk commented, “He squeezed my nose from behind while I was going on. There was a slight scratch. Of course, it’s not a very nice and stylish thing. I won’t exaggerate about it, but it’s not a very stylish thing.”
Galatasaray’s vice president, Metin Ozturk, condemned the actions of the controversial Mourinho, viewing it as an affront not only to the club but to Turkish football at large. Ozturk questioned, “The latest incident is not only an attack on Galatasaray’s coach but also on Turkish football. This is Mourinho, I don’t know where he gets this courage. Where in the world can he do this? Where does he think Turkey is?”
Earlier in February, Mourinho faced allegations from Galatasaray for reportedly making racist remarks post a different contentious match involving the two Istanbul clubs. Galatasaray accused the experienced manager, formerly of Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Chelsea, of employing “unequivocally inhumane rhetoric,” alleging he referred to their bench as “jumping around like monkeys.” Fenerbahce denied these accusations and initiated legal action against Galatasaray for what they called an “attack on the personal rights” of Mourinho.
Following their win, Galatasaray seized the opportunity to subtly mock Mourinho, sharing a picture of a smiling Buruk gazing at Mourinho. Their social media post included the message “YOU SHOULD NOT ATTACK, YOU SHOULD DIGEST!” accompanied by a shushing emoji.