Credit: A Spor
Jose Mourinho squeezed Okun Buruk’s nose in a bizarre attack which left the Galatasaray manager writhing on the turf in pain as a dispute between the pair escalated on Thursday.
In wild scenes, the Portuguese manager, now in charge at Fenerbahce, reached out angrily at Buruk’s face as he attempted to confront him from behind. Buruk immediately collapsed to the turf dramatically as the confrontation sparked an immediate melee between players and backroom staff.
Mourinho, who had already faced a touchline ban over a previous dispute with the Turkish rivals, is now certain to face investigations by authorities over the attack.
The incident took place at the end of an ill-tempered 2-1 away win for Galatasaray in the Turkish cup quarter-final in which three players were sent off during clashes in added time.
It is not the first time Mourinho has resorted to such a dramatic physical outburst. In a heated 2011 Spanish Super Cup match, the then Real Madrid manager poked Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye leading to a subsequent ban.
Hostilities between Mourinho and Buruk had already been well established, with the former Tottenham and Chelsea manager filing a lawsuit against Galatasaray in February after the club accused him of making racist statements.
Speaking after a previous 0-0 draw in the Turkish derby, Mourinho said the Galatasaray bench had been “jumping like monkeys”.
But after the feud continued on Thursday, Mourinho now faces the prospect of further sanctions, having already served a four-match ban after being accused of making racist statements.
Mourinho had been chased down by his own players prior to the latest clash before he reached out to pull back Buruk by the nose. The clash erupted after the final whistle blew, with security officials stepping to separate the two sides after Mourinho hit out.
This incident comes at a time of heightened rivalry between the two teams. The defeat marks Fenerbahçe’s second loss to Galatasaray this season, further distancing them from their rivals in the race for the Turkish Süper Lig title. With only eight rounds remaining, Fenerbahce trail their rivals by six points.
