Galatasaray edged past Fenerbahce 2-1 in a tense Ziraat Turkish Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday, securing a spot in the semifinals against Konyaspor.
However, the match was overshadowed by heated confrontations both on and off the field, culminating in an altercation involving Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho and Galatasaray’s Okan Buruk.
Following the final whistle, tempers flared between the coaching staffs. Mourinho approached Buruk on the field and grabbed his nose, causing the Galatasaray coach to lose balance and fall. The incident further fueled tensions in the already volatile derby.
Meanwhile, Mourinho received a red card for his physical tackle on Okan Buruk. The Portuguese coach will not attend the press conference.
The 62-year-old Mourinho, who joined Türkiye last summer, was handed a four-match suspension and a fine in late February following remarks made after a league match against Galatasaray.
He made controversial comments, stating that the Galatasaray bench had been “jumping like monkeys” in response to a refereeing decision. These remarks prompted accusations of racism from Galatasaray, which Mourinho firmly denied.
Referring to Mourinho’s actions in his press conference after the match, Galatasaray head coach Buruk said: “Nothing happened between me and him. I congratulated the referees and he congratulated them. When I was leaving, he intervened from behind.”
“I got a scratch on my nose. I won’t exaggerate too much, but it wasn’t elegant. We should have shaken hands before and after the match, but as I said, it’s not a big deal. I will not exaggerate what happened,” he added.
The match itself descended into chaos in the closing moments, as a dispute between Mert Muldur and Victor Osimhen escalated into a full-blown altercation involving players and staff on the sidelines.
Police intervened to restore order, and the referee issued four red cards—Mert Hakan Yandas, Salvatore Foti, Kerem Demirbay, and Baris Alper Yilmaz were sent off for their involvement.
Galatasaray now moves on to the semifinals, while Fenerbahce exits the tournament in dramatic fashion.
