Fenerbahçe has accused Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk of theatrically throwing himself to the ground as if "shot" after an incident in which Jose Mourinho appeared to pinch his nose, sparking fresh controversy in Turkish football.
Following Galatasaray's 2-1 victory over Fenerbahçe in the Turkish Cup on Wednesday, Mourinho, Fenerbahçe’s legendary coach, reached out from behind Buruk and made contact with his nose. Buruk collapsed to the ground, clutching his face, before Mourinho was escorted away.
In a lengthy statement posted on the social media platform X, Fenerbahçe accused Buruk of provoking Mourinho by making "disrespectful hand gestures" toward him after the match.
Fenerbahçe claimed Mourinho touched Buruk’s nose in response to what it perceived as "planned, excessive provocations," adding that Buruk "professionally threw himself to the ground with a ‘shot’ reflex as a continuation of this plan."
Later in the statement, Fenerbahçe described this as a "characteristic stance" of Buruk, alleging that "images of this person throwing himself to the ground during his football career continued in his technical directorship career."
Buruk is a former Turkish international who also played for Galatasaray and Inter Milan during his career.
After Wednesday's match, Buruk said Mourinho's conduct was "not a very nice and stylish thing" and that he suffered a "slight scratch." Galatasaray Vice President Metin Öztürk said the incident was "not only an attack on Galatasaray’s coach but also on Turkish football."
