Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho pinched the nose of Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk in a “physical attack” after a feisty Istanbul derby came to an end.
Mourinho’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat in the Turkish Cup quarter-final against arch-rivals Galatasaray, which ended in chaotic scenes.
Galatasaray’s Kerem Demirbay and Baris Yilmaz and Fenerbahce’s Mert Yandas were all sent off after the final whistle in a melee that was triggered by the former Manchester United and Chelsea manager.
Mourinho was seen clashing with Buruk as the two managers made their way onto the pitch after the match, with the Portuguese head coach pinching his opposite number’s nose.
The Galatasaray manager dropped to the floor dramatically, clutching his face and nose, as players from both sides ran over to see what was happening.
Mourinho, who was pulled away from the incident by his coaching staff, could face retrospective action after getting away without punishment in the immediate aftermath.
Buruk later said: “He pinched my nose from behind. There was a slight scratch. Of course, it wasn’t 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.”
Galatasaray vice-president Metin Ozturk added: “Our manager Okan and Mourinho congratulated the referees. After that, while Okan was continuing, Mourinho first verbally and then physically attacked him. 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.”
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There was a backlash in their last Istanbul derby too with Mourinho accusing the Galatasaray bench of “jumping like monkeys” in a 0-0 draw in the league.
That has led to Fenerbahce boss Mourinho filing a lawsuit against Galatasaray in February after they accused him of making racist statements.
Defending himself, Mourinho said in an interview with Sky Sports: “They were not clever in the way they attacked me, because they didn’t know my past.
“They didn’t know my connections with Africa, with African people and African players and African charities. So instead of going against me, I think it boomeranged and went against them.
“Everyone knows who I am as a person. Everybody knows my bad qualities, but that is not one of my bad qualities. Exactly the opposite! The most important thing is I know who I am, and the attack accusing racism was a bad choice.”
Galatasaray trolled Mourinho after their latest match with a viral video…
Galatasaray delirtir. pic.twitter.com/8EzHuxgq4e
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) April 2, 2025
