Mourinho Criticizes Refereeing Standards After Fenerbahce's Late Win
"I think I am speaking on behalf of every Fenerbahce fan—we don't want him again. We don't want him as a VAR. We don't want him on the pitch, but on the VAR, even less."
Jose Mourinho did not hold back in his criticism of the refereeing in Turkey following Fenerbahce’s dramatic 3-2 win over Trabzonspor, which saw Sofyan Amrabat score a 102nd-minute winner. The match was overshadowed by controversial officiating, particularly concerning two penalties awarded to Trabzonspor after video assistant referee (VAR) reviews. Mourinho was also aggrieved by what he felt was a clear penalty for Fenerbahce that went unpunished.
Mourinho, known for his fiery comments, directed his ire at the performance of referee Oguzhan Cakir and VAR official Atilla Karaoglan. The 61-year-old claimed he was misled by those who brought him to Turkey, expressing frustration that he wasn't given the full picture of the situation before taking over at Fenerbahce. "I blame the Fenerbahce people that brought me here," Mourinho said. "They told me only half of the truth. They didn't tell me the whole truth because if they told me the whole truth, I wouldn't come."
He then turned his attention to the refereeing decisions, particularly the two penalties awarded to Trabzonspor after VAR interventions. "He [Karaoglan] was alert to give the two penalty decisions which the referee didn't give, and then he was having Turkish tea when it was a clear penalty for us and he didn't give it."
Mourinho's frustration boiled over when he questioned the competence of the match officials. "The man of the match was Atilla Karaoglan," he quipped. "We didn't see him, but he was the referee. The referee was just a little boy that was there on the pitch, but the referee was Atilla Karaoglan. He goes from the invisible man to the most important man in the match."
The win propelled Fenerbahce to second in the Turkish Süper Lig, five points behind leaders Galatasaray, but Mourinho's focus remained on the officiating. "I think I am speaking on behalf of every Fenerbahce fan—we don't want him again. We don't want him as a VAR. We don't want him on the pitch, but on the VAR, even less."
Trabzonspor’s head coach, Senol Gunes, dismissed Mourinho's comments, choosing not to engage with the controversy. "I don’t need to talk about them," Gunes said. "What happened? Penalty or not? A goal scored? Isn’t it a goal? Many things can be talked about. I stay away from them anyway." Gunes pointed out that it was Trabzonspor who had been on the receiving end of some of the contentious decisions.
This match continued the trend of tense and controversial moments in Turkish football, following incidents such as the suspension of all leagues last season after referee Halil Umut Meler was assaulted by a club president, and Istanbulspor’s president pulling his team off the pitch in protest against a refereeing decision in a match against Trabzonspor. These events have contributed to an ongoing debate about refereeing standards in the league.
