Jose Mourinho has been hit with a three-match ban after appearing to grab the nose of Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk in jaw-dropping scenes.
Mourinho’s Fenerbahce side were dumped out of the Turkish Cup after a 2-1 defeat by their fierce rivals on Wednesday night and tensions spilled over when a mass scuffle between both sets of players broke out following the final whistle.
After approaching Buruk from behind, Mourinho seemingly pinched his opposite number’s nose. Buruk, 51, then fell to the floor, covering his face with his hands.
Mourinho, 62, has also been slapped with a 292,500 Turkish Lira (£5,955) fine.
Post-match, Buruk looked to play the incident down, saying there was ‘nothing between me and Mourinho’. He did, however, concede it was ‘not a classy move’.
But Galatasaray stoked the fire after sensationally accusing 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 on Friday.
Jose Mourinho has been hit with a ban after pinching Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk’s nose
Mourinho will miss three crucial league games after the incident following his side’s defeat
Buruk, 51, fell to the ground and held his face with his hands while Mourinho was moved away
The Professional Football Disciplinary Board said they had taken Buruk’s actions into consideration, resulting in Mourinho being given a reduced suspension.
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.
Tensions were already high between both clubs after Galatasaray vowed to begin criminal proceedings against Mourinho, claiming the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss had made ‘racist statements’ after a draw in February.
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.
Mourinho has also been slapped with a 292,500 Turkish Lira (£5,955) fine after the fracas
Tensions spilled over after the Turkish Cup tie with both benches confronting one another
‘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.’
