Jose Mourinho landed in trouble again on Wednesday night when he pinched the nose of Galatasaray’s coach Okan Buruk after his side suffered a 2-1 defeat in the quarter-final of the Turkish Cup.
The Intercontinental Derby between Galatasaray, and Fenerbahce is the biggest football match in Turkey, and it has been in existence for more than a century.
The clash is more than just a game, it’s a clash of continents and a battle between east and west.
The fixture has developed into one of the greatest, most intense and often bitter derbies in the world, it explains why the atmosphere is always charged, and the players are always ready for war.
The Turkish Cup clash on Wednesday produced three red cards.
This is the type of atmosphere that Jose Mourinho loves which allows him to show his troublesome persona.
The first game played between the two sides was a friendly game on Sunday, 17 January 1909.
The game took place at the Papazın Çayırı where Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is located today, finished 2–0 in favour of Galatasaray.
Fenerbahçe achieved their first victory over Galatasaray when they defeated them 4–2 in the 4th gameweek of the Istanbul Football League on Sunday, 4 January 1914.
The derby is known to attract a large number of spectators with a clash in 2003 attracting a record number of 71,334 people in a match that ended 2-2.
The rivalry is so intense that the two clubs share the largest fanbase in Turkey.
According to a poll in 2011, 35% of Turkish citizens support Galatasaray with Fenerbahçe coming close with 34%.
Fernabahce have earned the most victories in the derby with 149, Galatasaray can boast of 130 wins, while 124 encounters have ended in draws.
Fenerbache have also won the Turkish League 24 times compared to Galatasaray’s 19 league titles.
The Portuguese manager is not new to clashing with Galatasaray since he joined Fenerbahce in 2024.
The Beginning Of The Mourinho vs Galatarsaray Saga
In September 2024, Galatarsaray labelled Mourinho as the “Crying One” after his lost his first Instanbul Derby 3-1 at home, a first defeat of the season for the special one.
Galatarsaray took to social media to call Mourinho the “The Crying One” in reference to his self-appointed “Special One” nickname.
Galatarsaray Accused Mourinho Of Being A Racist
In February 2025, Mourinho accused the Galatarsaray bench of jumping like monkeys following a 0-0 Super Lig draw. He also made derogatory remarks against a Turkish referee after the game.
In response, Galatarsaray threatened to initiate criminal proceedings, and to report Mourinho to FIFA, and UEFA for what they termed “racist statements”
Mourinho, and Fenerbahce responded by filing a lawsuit against Galatasaray, an “attack on the personal rights” of their coach, while denying that Mourinho had used racist language.
Mourinho has always maintained that Galatarsaray are enjoying the favour of the match officials in Turkey, a position that angered everybody connected to the club.
The animosity between both clubs continued on social media among supporters before the incident on Wednesday night.
The war of words is expected to continue after Mourinho’s latest action on Wednesday with Galatasaray’s Vice President urging Fernabahce to take action against him for attacking their coach.
He said: “Our manager, Okan and Mourinho congratulated the referees. After that, while Okan was continuing, Mourinho first verbally and then physically attacked him,” said Galatasaray vice-president Metin Öztürk.
“Where else in the world can he do this? What does he think of Turkey? I believe that Fenerbahçe’s management will impose the necessary sanction before the federation does.”
After the match, Galatasaray tweeted a picture of Buruk and Mourinho captioned: “You should not attack, you should digest!” They also posted a cartoon video mocking Mourinho with the caption: “Galatasaray drives you crazy.”
Mourinho is facing a lengthy ban for his latest actions.
