Why Was Jose Mourinho Banned After Bizarre Incident in Turkish Cup Clash?
Jose Mourinho has received a three-match suspension following an unusual event in which he pinched the nose of Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk. The event took place during a tense Turkish Cup match between Fenerbahce and their long-time rivals earlier this week. The game saw four red cards issued late on, with emotions running high between the two coaches. Mourinho seized Buruk’s nose after the final whistle, causing Buruk to dramatically fall to the ground.
The Turkish Football Federation has reviewed the incident and decided on Mourinho’s punishment. The former Manchester United and Chelsea manager has been handed a three-match ban and fined roughly £6,000 for what they consider ‘unsportsmanlike conduct.’ As a result, Mourinho will miss the next matches against Trabzonspor, Sivasspor, and Kayserispor. Fenerbahce currently trails league leaders Galatasaray by six points, although they have a game in hand.
Jose Mourinho’s action
The TFF’s ruling comes after a heated exchange of remarks between the two teams. Predictably, Fenerbahce stood by their manager in the wake of the incident. A statement from the club outlined: “This was a planned provocation [by Buruk] and as part of this plan the individual acted as if he had been ‘shot’ and professionally fell to the ground, and his disrespectful words and actions are documented on video.
The absurdity of someone who is touched on the nose immediately throwing himself to the ground and writhing for seconds is clear to the public. It is evident that this individual’s tendency to fall to the ground, seen during his playing days, continues in his coaching career, showing that this behaviour is a characteristic attitude.”
Metin Ozturk, the Galatasaray vice president, made his club’s stance on the incident very clear. “Our manager, Okan, and Mourinho congratulated the referees. After that, while Okan was continuing, Mourinho first verbally and then physically attacked him. Where else in the world can he do this? What does he think of Turkey? I believe that Fenerbahce’s management will impose the necessary sanction before the federation does.”
Very surprisingly though, it was Buruk who defended Mourinho straight after the incident. “There was nothing between me and Mourinho. He pinched my nose from behind. There was a slight scratch. Of course, it wasn’t a very nice or elegant thing to do. We expect managers to behave more appropriately in such situations. I won’t exaggerate this issue, but it wasn’t a classy move.”
For Mourinho though, this isn’t the first time he’s been involved in such farcical activities in his succesful but controversial career. In 2012, then Real Madrid manager Mourinho poked a finger in the eye of the late Tito Vilanova, who was the then assistant of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, after a particularly ill-tempered El Clasico.
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