WHAT HAPPENED?
Former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United manager Mourinho has been an outspoken presence in Turkey since taking charge of Istanbul-based giants Fenerbahce. His comments have attracted criticism at times.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Demiturk is among those to have responded to blasts from the ‘Special One’, with exchanges from those WhatsApp conversations being made public. He has, as a result, being replaced by Basbug Pinarbasi as chairman of the PFDK (Professional Football Disciplinary Committee), which is overseen by the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
GettyWHAT FENERBAHCE SAID
Fenerbahce had led the calls for that change after being made aware of “hostile” comments made about Mourinho during conversations that allegedly took place between PFDK members.
They said the comments in question “clearly violate the principle of impartiality” and went on to add in a passionate statement: “Our club has made an official application to the Turkish Football Federation in response to the correspondence that has been made public and is claimed to belong to members of the Professional Football Disciplinary Board.
“We believe that this hostile mentality, which clearly violates the principle of impartiality and is based on showdowns and revenge, has no place in Turkish sports.
“The fact that members of one of the most important boards responsible for establishing justice in Turkish football make such statements not only renders the concept of 'discipline' dysfunctional but also constitutes a clear attack on the principles of impartiality and equality in sports.
“As Fenerbahce Sports Club, we will be following up on the issue and will continue our struggle for clean football until the end.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The comments about Mourinho are said to have been in response to an interview with Sky Sports from the Portuguese in which he said: “After the derby I got a four-match ban. Then it comes to the public eye that the chief of the disciplinary committee is celebrating among friends in a Galatasaray shirt.
“It was exposed on social media. Then my ban of four matches is immediately reduced to two. Only here can you understand the dimension of it.”
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MOURINHO?
Mourinho was charged with damaging the reputation of Turkish football, having questioned the integrity of it, but saw that case thrown out following a review and is currently readying Fenerbahce for the 2025-26 campaign and what he hopes will be further additions to his impressive trophy collection.