Jose Mourinho Breaks Silence on Turkish League Controversies: “I’ve Never Seen This in 35 Years”
Fenerbahçe won 2-1 against Hatayspor in the Süper Lig. Fenerbahçe's head coach, Jose Mourinho, assessed the victory.
In the 18th week of the Trendyol Süper Lig, Fenerbahçe hosted Atakaş Hatayspor. The yellow-blue team won 2-1 in the first match of the second half, with goals from En-Nesyri. With this victory, Fenerbahçe reached 39 points, continuing their pursuit of the top spot.
Jose Mourinho evaluated the victory for beIN SPORTS:
“We played very well. We dominated from start to finish. Even in half-chance situations, we were unlucky. We had many chances, but we weren’t good in the final passes. It’s strange that it ended 2-1. Practically, it’s a good result, but it could have been 6, 7, or 8. My players did their best. If the colors were different, the match could have ended 11-8. The league we are playing in is toxic. The opponents know this. They know how to play against other teams. In the last 2 matches, there should have been 5 red cards. Our players know this.”
In response to the question, “Do you think the point difference will close?”, Mourinho said:
“Why are you afraid to tell the truth? Why ask me this question and try to hide the truth? Why are people afraid in this country? Do you think the point difference is only due to the football played? Then say the truth.”
“IN MY 35-YEAR CAREER, I’VE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE”
Jose Mourinho spoke about experiencing firsts in his football career in Turkey:
“It’s not just today, if it were only today (referee mistakes), we would be in a much better position. I don’t speak Turkish, I don’t watch TV, I don’t read newspapers, I don’t follow social media, but I have my own thoughts. In my 35 years of football career, I’ve never seen anything like this before. This dimension goes beyond the understandable limits. I don’t think a single club can destroy this existing system. This league is my league, but actually, it’s your league, the league of the children in this country. If you’re happy with the status quo of this league, be happy. A single club cannot solve this. The divisions within us won’t solve it either. A strong club cannot fight alone.”
“THE DIVISIONS WITHIN US…”
“The thing that bothers me the most is the reactions toward my players. Last year it was Krunic, this year it’s Samet. Fortunately, Dusan Tadic can handle these things. He doesn’t hide, he’s not afraid. It’s already hard for us to fight. These divisions within us won’t help either. The only way is to keep working hard. Sometimes we play well, sometimes poorly. Almost always, there’s VAR and referees. Luckily, this league isn’t followed abroad.”
“YESTERDAY I LEARNED A NEW TURKISH WORD”
“In order to close the gap, we need to win, and the leader also needs to drop points. We will win the matches. We will be better than we are now. How will they lose points, how? I can’t speak Turkish, but because I hear certain words repeatedly, I learn some. Words like ‘good morning’, ‘meeting’. Yesterday, I kept hearing the same word, scandal, scandal, scandal! I learned a new word: scandal! I heard this word. Some of you like this. The worst part is that the winner enjoys it. That’s the worst part. Winning under these conditions and like this is the worst!”
