Jose Mourinho’s fiery passion boiled over in the heat of the Istanbul derby and it’s cost him three matches on the touchline.
The Fenerbahce boss has been slapped with a three-game suspension and a fine of £6,000 after clashing with Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk in the aftermath of a chaotic Turkish Cup quarter-final. Mourinho grabbed Buruk’s nose, moments after a tempestuous match that saw three players sent off.
The Turkish Football Federation confirmed Mourinho will be barred from the dressing room and the bench for Fenerbahce’s upcoming clashes with Trabzonspor, Sivasspor, and Kayserispor. It’s a significant blow in a title race that’s already on a knife edge.
Fenerbahce currently sit second in the Super Lig, six points adrift of leaders Galatasaray but with a game in hand. Mourinho’s ban couldn’t come at a worse time as the club looks to mount a late charge for the title.
The derby defeat, 2-1 on home soil, was bad enough. But the post-match melee, capped by Mourinho’s theatrical nose pinch and Buruk’s equally dramatic fall, turned a tense rivalry into headline-making theatre and handed Galatasaray an unexpected moral victory.
