Mourinho Sues Turkey at European Court Over Fenerbahce Ban
Last update: June 5, 2026
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The Special One has swapped the dugout for the courtroom, and he is accusing Turkish football chiefs of silencing him.
The story – via cbinewstv
You could not make it up. Jose Mourinho has barely left Istanbul and he is already taking Turkey to Strasbourg.
The Portuguese coach has filed a complaint at the European Court of Human Rights over the disciplinary sanctions he picked up while managing Fenerbahce. The Strasbourg-based court has accepted the application and, in a notice on 1 June, asked the Turkish government for its observations.
It all traces back to that fiery derby with Galatasaray. After the goalless draw, Mourinho told reporters the home bench had been "jumping like monkeys" and claimed the match would have been a disaster if a Turkish referee had been in charge. The Turkish Football Federation was not amused. They hit him with a four-match ban and a 1.6 million lira fine for derogatory comments about officials.
Court papers seen by AFP, as highlighted by cbinewstv, show Mourinho is leaning on Articles 6 and 10 of the European Convention. He argues the case was never heard by an independent and impartial tribunal, he was not properly notified of the TFF decision, and his right to freedom of expression was infringed by the punishments.
It is classic Mourinho theatre, but the backdrop is familiar. He arrived in June 2024 to a rockstar welcome, yellow and navy scarves everywhere, promising to end Fenerbahce's league title drought stretching back to 2014. It never clicked.
Fourteen months later, after a 1-0 Champions League play-off defeat to Benfica, Fenerbahce sacked him for failing to qualify, ending a turbulent spell that lasted just over a year.
After parting ways in August, he pitched up at Portuguese giants Benfica, but the rumour mill is already linking him with a sensational return to Real Madrid, where he managed between 2010 and 2013.
For now though, the real battle is not on the pitch, it is in a courtroom in France, and Mourinho clearly fancies his chances.
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