Jose Mourinho: Fenerbahce LAMBAST Osimhen’s manager in fiery statement as tensions drag on
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Victor Osimhen's Galatasaray manager, Okan Buruk, has been criticised after his recent confrontation with Jose Mourinho (Credit: Imago/BBC)

Jose Mourinho: Fenerbahce LAMBAST Osimhen’s manager in fiery statement as tensions drag on

Seye Omidiora 11:00 - 04.04.2025

Fenerbahce have reprimanded Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk after his confrontation with Jose Mourinho.

Fenerbahce have accused Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk of overreacting during a confrontation with their head coach Jose Mourinho, claiming he acted "as if he had been shot." 

The controversy arose after the Turkish Cup quarter-final match between the two Istanbul rivals, which Galatasaray won 2-1 after Victor Osimhen netted a brace for the Yellow-Reds.

Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen scored twice in Galatasaray's Turkish Cup success over rivals Fenerbahce (Credit: Imago)

Tensions were already high between the clubs after last month’s Super Lig match when the defending league champions alleged that Mourinho made racist statements, leading to the Portuguese manager's subsequent lawsuit against Fenerbahce’s rivals.

Fenerbahce’s response to Mourinho-Buruk confrontation

Wednesday’s incident took place after the final whistle at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, where both managers were speaking with the officials. 

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Fenerbahce's statement condemned Buruk for provoking Mourinho with "disrespectful hand gestures," which led to the Portuguese manager briefly touching his counterpart’s nose. 

The Yellow Canaries described Buruk's dramatic fall to the ground as a "planned provocation" and mocked his actions as reminiscent of his playing days. 

Jose Mourinho
Okan Buruk fell to the floor after confrontation with Jose Mourinho (Credit: Imago)

"This was a planned provocation [by Buruk] and as part of this plan the individual acted as if he had been 'shot' and fell to the ground in a professional manner, and his disrespectful words and actions are documented on video," Fenerbahce’s statement read.

"The absurdity of someone who is touched on the nose immediately throwing himself to the ground and writhing for seconds is clear to the public.

"It is evident that this individual's tendency to fall to the ground, seen during his playing days, continues in his coaching career, showing that this behaviour is a characteristic attitude."

Buruk downplayed the altercation at his post-match press conference, claiming there was "nothing" between him and Mourinho. 

However, Galatasaray further escalated the situation by sharing a video on X that mocked the experienced Fener head coach.

The Yellow-Reds will faceKonyaspor in the domestic cup semi-final. 

What next for Fenerbahce and Galatasaray?

Mourinho’s Fener side host Trabzonspor on Sunday, aiming to cut Galatasaray's lead atop the Super Lig standings to three points. 

Osimhen and his colleagues return to action at Samsunspor on Friday, February 11.