Following his last role with AS Roma, legendary coach Jose Mourinho surprised the soccer world by joining Turkish side Fenerbahce in July 2024. Since his arrival, he has bolstered the squad with high-profile signings to take on the Turkish Super Lig. However, after Sunday’s 3-2 win over Trabzonspor, Mourinho expressed frustration with the officiating, delivering a scathing critique of the Turkish league.
During the away match, Fenerbahce initially led 1-0, but two VAR-awarded penalties, overseen by VAR official Atilla Karaoglan, turned the game in Trabzonspor’s favor. Despite Fenerbahce securing the win with a 102nd-minute goal, Mourinho’s post-match comments questioned the league’s professionalism.
“I didn’t watch the matches until I come because nobody abroad wants to watch the Turkish league. Who wants to watch this Turkish league abroad? They have the Premier League, they have the French league, they have the German league, they have the Portuguese league, they have the the Dutch League. Why should they see this? I didn’t. I started looking at it when I was invited to come to Turkey,” said Mourinho after the game.
He then stated that the league failed to meet Mou’s expectations: “I was told when the president met me, when the director met me, and even before that, that I even met other important clubs and respectful clubs in Turkey. But I couldn’t believe that this was the dimension. It’s too grey, it’s too dark, it smells bad. But that’s my job and I will give everything to my to my job, to my to my club.
“I blame the Fenerbahce people that brought me here. They told me only half of the truth. They didn’t tell me the whole truth because if they told me the whole truth, I wouldn’t come,” the Portuguese coach said in a length talk with beIN Sports.
Mourinho singles out referee and VAR official
Mourinho’s frustrations were particularly directed at match referee Oguzhan Cakir and VAR official Atilla Karaoglan, whom he labeled “the man of the match” for influencing key moments.
“We were in good control. We were winning 1-0. When Atilla (Karaoglan) woke up because in the first half he was having probably Turkish tea. For not to say an alcoholic drink, so probably it was Turkish tea. When there was a clear red card on Bright (Osayi-Samuel),” stated the coach, using Turkish tea as an euphemism for being asleep during part of the match.
Mourinho was particularly critical of the officials’ reliance on VAR. “The man of the match was Atilla Karaoglan. We didn’t see him but he was the referee. The referee was just a little boy that was there on the pitch, but the referee was Atilla Karaoglan,” Mourinho stated.
“He goes from the invisible man to the most important man in the match. I think I am speaking on behalf of every Fenerbahce fan – we don’t want him again. We don’t want him as a VAR. We don’t want him on the pitch but, on the VAR, even less,” he ended.
Mourinho continues criticism on social media
True to his outspoken style, Mourinho took to Instagram to highlight his grievances, sharing two stories about controversial moments from the match that were in detriment of his team:
The first post was about Tranbozspor’s Stefano Denswill ferocious tackle over Fenerbahce’s Bright Osayi-Samuel. The challenge, who was aiming at the player’s knee rather than the ball, was only warned with a yellow card, and Mourinho didn’t hesitate to show his discomfort about the call, writing: “Yellow shirt is only a yellow card.”
The second story showed a clear handball by Trabzonspor’s Simon Banza that went unpunished. Mourinho responded with a laughing emoji, emphasizing his dissatisfaction with the officiating decisions throughout the game.
