Jose Mourinho Criticizes VAR After Lyon Stalemate: “Two Red Cards Were Missed”

Fenerbahçe drew 0-0 against Lyon in the UEFA Europa League at home.

Speaking to TRT 1 after the match, Mourinho expressed his frustration with VAR.

“Two red cards should have been shown during the match. The foul on Szymanski was a red card, but VAR didn’t call it. VAR made the correct decision on the Niakhate incident. The referee had a big influence on the game. Playing 11 versus 11 was tough because the opponent was a very challenging and technical team. It wasn’t easy for us. Yusuf performed brilliantly. Maximin hasn’t trained for three weeks. I think nine points will be enough to qualify. The difficult situation we’re in continues. We’ll go for a win next week. Today, VAR played a huge role.”

“WE WILL GO FOR THE WIN”

In the post-match press conference at Ülker Stadium, the Portuguese coach highlighted that VAR’s failure to review the incident involving Szymanski was a mistake.

Mourinho said VAR decisions affected the outcome of the game: “The VAR referee had a big impact on the result. My counterpart was probably lucky enough to substitute his player in time. We don’t know if we’ll have 11 players available for the next match or how we’ll set up the team. I don’t know if nine points will be enough; it depends on many combinations. But we’ll go there for the win.”

Commenting on Allan Saint-Maximin’s performance, Mourinho added:

“Maxi played despite not having trained for three weeks. Physically, he’s not fit and doesn’t have match rhythm, but we needed everyone. Irfan already had a yellow card, and I was afraid of a second one. I thought Maxi could help us with his one-on-one plays, especially since his opponent had a yellow card. He gave his best and tried, even though he wasn’t at his peak physically. I don’t know anything about his future.”

Addressing the team’s challenges, Mourinho concluded:

“Right now, we have one team, and if we qualify, we might have a different team. The situation is tough. Nine points might be enough, or it might not. Ten points could be sufficient, and twelve would definitely secure qualification, but we’re struggling due to a limited squad. There are players who can be added to the list in the knockout rounds. European nights in the knockout stages often have a special atmosphere. Everything changed for me after the ban I received in Rome, and it’s been difficult ever since, just like in this match, the Lille match, and the Manchester United match. We’ll try to get a good result in the next game. I’m hopeful we’ll have 11 players to fight there.”

PRAISE FOR YUSUF AKÇİÇEK

After the 0-0 draw against Lyon, Mourinho praised Yusuf Akçiçek. The Portuguese coach said, “He takes care of himself and is eager to learn. He puts in extra work after training. I’ve always said he’ll become a fantastic player.”

Yusuf Akçiçek started in the Europa League match against Lyon, making his debut in the starting XI for Fenerbahçe.

Speaking in the post-match press conference, Mourinho commended Yusuf:

“Yusuf didn’t surprise me. He’s 18 but very professional. He’s one of the first to arrive and the last to leave training. He takes good care of himself, learns, and works extra after training. I’ve always said he’ll be a fantastic player. I couldn’t throw him to the lions by playing him as a left-back in such a match; it would have been too tough for him. Instead, I put him in a position where he felt comfortable and secure. Poor Szymanski had to sacrifice himself on the left, and he contributed significantly to the team. Yusuf has great potential, so his performance is no surprise to me.”