Fenerbahçe manager Jose Mourinho has been handed a four-match suspension and a $44,000 fine following the fallout from Monday’s heated goalless draw against rivals Galatasaray, who accused him of making racist remarks.
After the match, Mourinho said the Galatasaray bench was "jumping like monkeys" in reaction to an early challenge.
He also suggested the game was better officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic rather than Turkish officials after both clubs had requested a foreign referee.
Galatasaray later announced their intention to "initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho" and claimed he had made "derogatory statements directed toward the Turkish people."
On Thursday, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) released decisions from its Professional Football Disciplinary Board, which imposed sanctions on the Fenerbahçe coach for two separate disciplinary violations.
The TFF said Mourinho entered the referees' room and directed "derogatory and offensive statements" toward the fourth official, who was Turkish. The Portuguese coach also "accused Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements toward both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees."
The federation cited Mourinho's "actions and statements that insulted the brand value of football in Türkiye" and imposed a two-match ban from both the dressing room and touchline, along with a fine of TL 117,000 ($3,200).
Regarding his post-match press conference, the TFF said: "It was determined that the statements used toward members of the opposing team were not necessary, contradicted the ethics of sports and the concept of fair play, contained expressions that could encourage violence and disorder, were divisive in society and could provoke fan incidents. Therefore, it was deemed an act against sportsmanship."
As a result, Mourinho received an additional two-match ban and a fine of 1.5 million Turkish lira.
The sanctions mean Mourinho will not be in the dugout for Fenerbahçe's upcoming league games against Antalyaspor, Samsunspor, Bodrum and Trabzonspor.
Galatasaray, who lead Fenerbahçe by six points at the top of the Süper Lig, would add a fifth star to their crest if they secure a 25th league title this season.
Following the accusations of racism, former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba defended his former coach and mentor.
The former Ivory Coast international – who played for Galatasaray in 2013-14 between two spells at Chelsea under Mourinho – wrote in a social media post that the 62-year-old had been a father figure to him.
Fenerbahçe issued a statement Tuesday, saying Mourinho’s comments had been "taken completely out of context and deliberately distorted" and could "in no way be associated with racism."
