'We'll make him pay': Leaked Jose Mourinho texts spark scandal in Turkish football
18 June 2025, 14:28 | Updated: 18 June 2025, 14:37
Jose Mourinho is at the heart of a major scandal rocking the Turkish football community after leaked WhatsApp messages revealed an alleged plot to make him "pay".
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The WhatsApps have sparked a wave of mass resignations after members of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) threatened to "make Jose Mourinho pay" as he was "tolerated too much."
Among them are TFF committee president Celal Nuri Demirturk and the entire board of directors.
It comes after Portuguese coach complained about refereeing standards in February following a draw with rival team Galatasaray.
Mourinho was slapped with a four-game ban and a £35,000 fine for “derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee" and accusing "Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees.”
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The former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Spurs and Man Utd manager later said he was suing Galatasaray after being accused of racism by the Istanbul rivals after he said their bench “jumped around like monkeys” during a 0-0 draw.
He had previously claimed Turkish referees were "worse than I thought" and "smell bad."
In another clash between the rivals, Mourinho approached opposition manager Okan Buruk at full time and grabbed his nose, resulting in another three-game ban.
Responding to the scandal, Fenerbahce said in a statement: “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.”
The club's general secretary Burak Kizilhan has claimed the leak "clearly violates impartiality" as he demanded a "swift and transparent investigation".
"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," he added.
Mr Kizilhan continued: "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."
