03.04.2025 16:00
Head coach Yılmaz Vural made a controversial comment regarding Jose Mourinho squeezing Okan Buruk's nose after the Ziraat Turkey Cup quarter-final match between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. Vural stated, "After the match, when Jose Mourinho was going towards the referees, Okan Buruk was also coming. There is a slight provocation situation on Okan Buruk's part here."
Galatasaray secured its place in the semi-finals by defeating its eternal rival Fenerbahçe 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the Ziraat Turkey Cup. Following the match, the incident where the yellow-blue team's coach Jose Mourinho squeezed the nose of Galatasaray's coach Okan Buruk made headlines worldwide. A comment regarding the incident that overshadowed the match also came from coach Yılmaz Vural.
"OKAN BURUK PROVOKED"
Vural stated, "After the match, when Jose Mourinho was going to the referees, Okan Buruk was also coming. There is a slight provocation situation here with Okan Buruk. There has been competition between Mourinho and Okan Buruk both on and off the field since the beginning of the season," he said.
"MOURINHO INTRODUCED OKAN BURUK TO THE WORLD"
Touching on the relationship between Mourinho and Okan Buruk, the coach said, "The main reason for the incident is that there is competition between the two teams; there is no other team in the league! And in this competition, the losing coach loses a lot. Mourinho's action benefited Okan Buruk. Mourinho introduced Okan Buruk to the world. Everyone got to know Okan Buruk. Now everyone has learned that there is a coach named Okan Buruk," he expressed.
"STAR PLAYERS MADE MOURINHO A COACH"
Expressing his opposition to foreign coaches, Yılmaz Vural said, "I am against everything foreign in Turkey. At the forefront of this are jobs done with people. I am against foreign coaches and foreign players in Turkish football as well. We say Mourinho is the best in the world, but he didn't make a move in the game after it was 2-0 yesterday. This means that star players made Mourinho a coach," he concluded.