- Jose Mourinho has been hit with a huge fine and a one match ban in Turkey
- The Fenerbahce boss mocked referees during a sensational post-match tirade
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Jose Mourinho has been slapped with a huge fine and given a one match ban following his incredible post-match tirade following his Fenerbahce team’s 3-2 away win at Trabzonspor on Sunday.
The iconic former Premier League boss has never been far from controversy throughout his career and is continuing to do so in Turkey in charge of Fenerbahce.
Mourinho initially celebrated at the weekend when former Manchester United loanee Sofyan Amrabat scored a dramatic late winner for his side, but later fumed at match officials.
Playing the victim after VAR intervened at several times throughout the match, most notably awarding two penalties to the home side, Mourinho mocked the VAR as ‘man of the match’ and said decisions made by referees ‘smells bad’.
The Turkish football association were left fuming at Mourinho’s suggestions of bias and have now punished the 61-year-old with a fine in excess of £20,000 and a one match ban.
Jose Mourinho has been slapped with a huge fine and given a one match ban following his incredible post-match tirade after Fenerbahce’s weekend win
Mourinho described the referee as a ‘little kid’ following Fenerbahce’s weekend victory
Mourinho later fumed after the game that the state of officiating in the Turkish Super Lig ‘smells bad’
Speaking post-match to reporters on Sunday, the Portuguese initially pinpointed the actions of VAR, Atilla Karaoglan, stating: ‘Today, the man of the match was [VAR referee] Atilla Karaoglan.
‘We didn’t see him, but he was the referee of the match. We don’t want him again. We don’t want him because it smells bad. We don’t want him. We don’t want him on the pitch, but on the VAR even less.
‘We play against a system. And to play against a system is the most difficult thing.’
Mourinho further criticised the VAR official for missing several key calls in the first-half and insisted Karaoglan was busy ‘drinking tea’ instead of doing his job.
He additionally mocked the officials by calling the referee ‘a little boy’ and uploaded footage on social media showing an alleged handball by Trabzonspor goalscorer Simon Banza that was dismissed by VAR alongside the caption: ‘Watch and smile. If you like it watch the game because the funny situations don’t stop with this clip.’
The video received more than 650,000 likes on Instagram in less than 17 hours and is another factor that the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) considered when deciding upon their punishment for Mourinho.
Fenerbahce manager Mourinho was highly critical of the way Sunday’s game was officiated
Mourinho was left fuming after Trabzonspor player Simon Banza looked to handle the ball
Hitting back at the legendary manager, the TFF issued a damning statement where they warned the Fenerbahce boss about making such remarks in the future.
The TFF statement read: ‘In the post-match flash interview and press conference are evaluated as a whole; the statements in question are contrary to sportsmanship, sports ethics or the concept of fair play, damage the reputation of the TFF, aim to diminish the value of Turkish football, cast a shadow over the impartiality of the referees and other match officials, and are therefore punished with a discretionary fine of 900,000 TL (£20,178) in accordance with Article 38/4-a of the FDT due to Unsportsmanlike Statements.’
Mourinho is yet to respond to his latest reprimand and has been well supported by Fenerbahce supporters since his sensational tirade that thrust the state of refereeing in the Turkish Super Lig into the spotlight.
Meanwhile, the ex-Chelsea, Spurs and Man United boss has endured a mixed start to life in Turkish football with Fenerbahce third in the Super Lig standings and five points adrift of leaders Galatasaray.