Fenerbahce have released a statement in response to alleged WhatsApp messages from the Turkish Football Federation’s disciplinary committee.
Leaked images appeared online with the president of the committee writing: “We will make him pay for this next season. He has been tolerated too much.”
TFF committee president Celal Nuri Demirturk and the entire board of directors have now resigned en masse in response.
Fenerbahce have released an official statement in response to the messages, writing: “Our club has made an official application to the Turkish Football Federation in response to the correspondence that has been made public today and is claimed to belong to members of the Professional Football Disciplinary Board.
“We believe that this hostile mentality, which clearly violates the principle of impartiality and is based on showdowns and revenge, has no place in Turkish Sports.”
In a corresponding statement from the club’s general secretary Burak Kizilhan, he claimed the leak ‘clearly violates impartiality’ and requested a ‘swift and transparent investigation’.
He added: “If these allegations are true, not only would the impartiality of the relevant board be compromised, but the institutional reputation and public trust in the Turkish Football Federation would be seriously damaged.
“For individuals who serve on one of the most important boards with the duty to establish justice in Turkish football to be involved in such statements would render the concept of ‘discipline’ ineffective and constitute a clear attack on the principles of impartiality and equality.”
The alleged WhatsApp exchange was referring to Mourinho’s attack on Turkish referees after a league draw against Galatasaray in February.
The clash between the two sides saw a foreign referee hired in Slovenian Slavko Vincic after accusations of bias from Fener.
Champions League finalist Vincic handled the 0-0 superbly, so the drama instead came post-match.
Mourinho accused the Galatasaray bench of ‘jumping around like monkeys’ to which the club responded by releasing a statement accusing him of racism.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager was handed a four-game ban and a £35,194 fine for ‘his derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee’ and because he ‘accused Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees’.
The ban and fine were both halved on appeal, while Mourinho announced he was suing Galatasaray over the accusation of racism.
Fener then lost another Istanbul derby to their rivals, this time in the quarter-finals of the Turkish Cup, confirming a trophyless season.
Mourinho approached Gala manager Okan Buruk on the pitch after the full time whistle and grabbed his nose from behind, with the Turkish coach falling to the ground in response.
He was banned for three games for the incident, which was just one of many in a season of clashes between himself and the eventual Super Lig champions.
Despite all the drama and not a single trophy in his debut campaign with Fenerbahce, Mourinho looks set to continue at the club next season.
