José Mourinho is still José Mourinho. His team, Fenerbahçe, won this Sunday on the lawn of Trabzonspor (3-2) during the 10th day of the Turkish championship despite two penalties against them and thanks to a goal scored by Sofyan Amrabat in the 90th + 12!
Enough to offer two surreal scenes from the Portuguese coach. The first, on the pitch, at the final whistle with a missed slide and a celebration worthy of a success in the Champions League final.
The second at the microphone of BeIN Sports Türkiye, official broadcaster, with a projection towards the refereeing body and the Turkish governing bodies.
“Man of the match? The video referee. We didn’t see him but he was the real referee. The referee was just a little boy on the field. (…) He went from an invisible man to the most important man. I think I speak for all Turkish football fans. We don’t want him anymore. We no longer want him on the pitch but we want even less of him at VAR. I had been warned of what awaited me before my arrival but it was worse than what I had been told. But I prefer to be on this side (he pats his chest). It’s more difficult because we are fighting against good opponents like Trabzonspor. »
“You should tell the Turks to denounce what is happening”
And the Portuguese technician continues: “But above all we are fighting against a system. (…) This is why we are celebrating this victory so much. We won’t give up. (…) The people who warned me about the atmosphere here only told me half the truth. They didn’t reveal everything. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come. (…) Let’s laugh about it. If we take things too seriously… But I work here in Türkiye. It’s not my country but I care because it’s my job. But you should tell the Turks to talk about it, to denounce what is happening year after year. You, not me. I will be the one who denounces the system, the one that the system wants to silence. (…) But we are clean. »
There is no doubt that these Turkish football authorities will hear José Mourinho’s message. For what response? To be continued. In the meantime, “Fener” remains second in the championship, five points behind leader Galatasaray.
