Jose Mourinho was issued a three-game suspension by the Turkish Football Federation for grabbing the nose of Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk following the Istanbul derby Wednesday.
Additionally, the longtime manager was fined approximately $7,700 for the incident.
Mourinho, in his first year with Süper Lig's Fenerbahçe, was penalized "due to his unsportsmanlike conduct toward an opponent," according to a statement from the TFF.
Fenerbahçe lost 2-1 to Galatasaray in the Turkish Cup quarterfinals. During stoppage time, a scuffle broke out between the two clubs, resulting in three players being ejected. When the match was over, Mourinho then went after Buruk and pinched his nose, which perhaps led to less severe of an injury than the Galatasaray manager indicated through his body language.
MOURINHO'DAN OKAN BURUK'A FİZİKSEL MÜDAHALE! pic.twitter.com/YLlNiSxIwQ
— Fotomaç (@fotomac) April 2, 2025
"Mourinho shall be banned from entering the dressing room and the bench for three official matches," the TFF statement added. The three matches Mourinho will miss are against Trabzonspor, Sivasspor and Kayserispor.
Fenerbahçe is second in the Süper Lig, trailing Galatasaray by six points.
The three-game ban is not the first penalty issued to Mourinho during his first season in the Turkish soccer league. He received a four-game suspension and was fined $42,000 for criticizing officials after Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray previously played in February, saying, "If a Turkish ref had refereed this match, it would have been a disaster."
Galatasaray also alleged Mourinho made racist remarks ("unequivocally inhumane rhetoric") toward the players on their bench, claiming he said they were "jumping around like monkeys." Fenerbahçe and Mourinho sued in response, arguing the accusations were an "attack on the personal rights" of the coach and asked for $52,000 in damages.
Fenerbahce will play Sunday versus Trabzonspor, but its manager now won't be a part of that match.
