Same corporates but different drama as Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho faces another conflict with Galatasaray. Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has accused Mourinho of “physically attacking” him by grabbing his nose after his team sealed a 2-1 win at the Derby in the Turkish Cup.
The altercation occurred when the referee blew the final whistle; both coaches were suppose to shake hands, but Mourinho ran from behind and pinched Buruk’s nose, then fell to the ground. Mourinho was sent off while Buruk was assisted up and received medical attention.
Galatasaray has since released a statement stating that the 62-year-old firstly verbally abused the coach before attacking him, and expects Fenerbahce to put Jose in his place.
“Our manager, Okan, and Mourinho congratulated the referees.
“After that, while Okan was continuing, Mourinho first verbally and then physically attacked him,” Ozturk claimed.
“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.”
This is not the first time that Jose Mourinho and Galatasaray have been on each other’s throats. In February, Galatasaray accused Mourinho of making a racist remark during a post-match interview.
“The opposing team’s bench was jumping like monkeys”.
The Club took legal action, and the Turkish Football Federation handed Mourinho a four-game ban and a £35,194 fine for two disciplinary breaches.
Mourinho later took the matter into his own hands as he filed a lawsuit against Galatasaray for attacking his rights.
Later during the post-match interview, Buruk decided to ditch his side and sing a different tune, claiming he found nothing wrong with what Mourinho did, and people will always exaggerate the situation between the two teams.
“There was nothing between me and Mourinho. He pinched my nose from behind. There was a slight scratch. Of course, it was not 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.”
