Fenerbahce Istanbul wins a dramatic game against Trabzonspor. After the victory, Fenerbahce coach José Mourinho criticized the Turkish referees in general. The Portuguese doesn’t mince his words.
The top game in the Turkish Süper Lig could hardly have been more dramatic. Sofyan Amrabat scored in the twelfth minute of injury time to make it 3-2 and secure Fenerbahce Istanbul’s victory against Trabzonspor. Fenerbahce coach José Mourinho stormed onto the pitch with joy and rolled over while trying to slide across the turf on his knees. He was then buried beneath his players celebrating the last-minute victory.
But it wasn’t just during the celebration, but especially after the game in front of the microphones that the coach burst out. This was preceded by a hard-fought game in which the VAR referee Atilla Karaoglan took center stage: “Karaoglan was Man of the Match. We didn’t see him, but he was the referee. The referee on the pitch himself was just a little boy running around on the grass,” Mourinho said on beIn SPORTS Türkiye after the final whistle.
Trabzon was awarded two penalties after interventions by Karaoglan. Fenerbahce, on the other hand, was denied a supposed hand penalty. The VAR has gone “from an invisible man to the most important man in the game,” said the 61-year-old: “For the sake of all Fenerbahce fans, I say that we no longer want him at our games.”
“Even worse than what I was told”
What Pep Guardiola once was an antagonist for Mourinho is now refereeing in Turkey. He repeatedly criticizes the performance of the referees in the Turkish Süper Lig, this time the reckoning took all of eight minutes: “When I was told about it, I couldn’t believe it. But it’s even worse than what I was told.” You play “not only against good teams with a lot of good players, but also against the system. That’s the hardest thing. Today we played against a good opponent, a heated atmosphere, the VAR and the system.”
The Portuguese continued: “I blame those responsible at Fenerbahce for bringing me here. You only told me half the truth. If they had told me the whole truth, I wouldn’t have come.” Mourinho joined Fener last summer and his contract in Istanbul runs until 2026.
“The Special One” and his team are currently in second place thanks to their victory in Trabzon. After ten matchdays, Fenerbahce has 23 points and is five points behind league leaders Galatasaray.
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