Fenerbahce’s head coach, Jose Mourinho, has been handed a four-match suspension and fined more than £35,000 for comments he made after a heated match against Galatasaray.

His words caused major controversy, with accusations of racism leading to disciplinary action from the Turkish Football Federation.

During a press conference after the match, Mourinho criticized the refereeing team and made comments about the Galatasaray bench, saying they were “jumping like monkeys.” He also suggested the game was better because it was not officiated by a Turkish referee.

Galatasaray took the matter seriously, filing complaints with UEFA and FIFA. In response, Fenerbahce announced plans to take legal action against what they called “defamatory” statements.

The Turkish Football Federation reviewed the case and handed Mourinho a punishment based on two separate charges

Mourinho approached the referee after the match and made offensive remarks about Turkish referees and football in Turkey. For this, he received a two-match ban from the dressing room and touchline, plus a fine of £2,542 (117,000 Turkish lira).

The federation ruled that Mourinho’s words could encourage violence, were against sportsmanship, and could create divisions in society. This led to another two-match ban and a larger fine of £32,602 (1,500,000 Turkish lira).

The match saw additional punishments for others involved:

• Galatasaray’s coach, Okan Buruk, received a one-match ban and a fine after calling Mourinho “the crying one” and criticizing the referee.
• Galatasaray’s club president, Dursun Ozbek, was suspended from his role for 34 days.
• Galatasaray and Fenerbahce’s fans were also affected. Galatasaray will play their next home game without a section of supporters due to offensive chants. Fenerbahce fans are banned from two away matches because of serious crowd trouble.
• Galatasaray’s social media post, which accused Mourinho of racism, resulted in a £65,000 (3,000,000 Turkish lira) fine for the club.

This controversy has sparked strong reactions in Turkish football. While Mourinho and Fenerbahce are fighting back against the accusations, the Turkish Football Federation has made it clear that offensive remarks will not be tolerated.

Mourinho’s suspension means he will miss important matches, putting pressure on Fenerbahce as they continue their season. It remains to be seen if any further legal action will follow.