Mourinho’s Message to Turkish Referees: “If You Were Officiating, It Would Have Been a Disaster!”

In the highly anticipated 25th-week clash of the Süper Lig, Galatasaray hosted Fenerbahçe at RAMS Park, with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. Following the game, Fenerbahçe manager Jose Mourinho made striking remarks in the post-match press conference.

The Portuguese coach praised Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, stating, “It’s possible to win the championship without a derby victory. The reason this was a big and well-managed game was the referee. Both teams fought hard, but in the end, football is like that. If it had been a Turkish referee, Yusuf would have received a yellow card within 20 seconds.”

“If You Were Officiating, It Would Have Been a Disaster!”

Mourinho revealed he went to the referee’s room after the match, saying:
“I told the main referee, ‘Thank you for officiating this big game well.’ But I turned to the fourth official and said, ‘If you were in charge, it would have been a disaster.’”

“Galatasaray Is Not a Great Team”

Continuing his evaluation, Mourinho questioned Galatasaray’s strength:
“They have big players, but they are not a great team. If they were truly strong, they would demand foreign referees for every match. With a foreign referee today, they managed only one shot on target against us at home.”

“Yusuf Akçiçek Showed His Quality”

Mourinho also praised 18-year-old Yusuf Akçiçek, who played in his first big derby:
“He wasn’t flawless, but he will be. When you put a young player in a game like this, you know what can happen. But he played at a top level, and Montella must also be happy with his performance.”