Mourinho rages at press conference after Fenerbahce’s title blow against Kayserispor

Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho expressed frustration at the post-match press conference following a dramatic 3-3 home draw with Bellona Kayserispor in the 32nd week of the Turkish Super Lig on Sunday.

“You’re asking me the same thing again. You’ve mentioned Kayserispor’s missing players twice. You asked this. Why? Are they 10–12-year-old kids? They’re professionals. The ones who played are also part of the squad. They have integrity, honor. These are players who possess that. What is your aim? The ones who replaced them had ambition. If you want to talk about the match, let’s talk about the match,” Mourinho said, reacting sharply to questions about Kayserispor’s missing players. He added that his team paid the price for its own mistakes.

Mourinho’s reaction came amid a wave of social media rumors, particularly among Galatasaray fans, alleging that several Kayserispor players had been deliberately suspended to favor Fenerbahce—a claim the coach appeared keen to distance himself from.

Mourinho avoids speculation on Turkish title race

The match, held at Ulker Stadium, ended with a late equalizer from Kayserispor, a result that severely dented Fenerbahce’s title hopes.

Fenerbahce had taken the lead with goals from Anderson Talisca (2) and Allan Saint-Maximin, but conceded three times to Ramazan Civelek, Dominik Livakovic (own goal), and Talha Sariaslan. The draw meant Fenerbahce fell 5 points behind league leaders Galatasaray with six weeks left in the season.

While describing the match as “unlucky,” Mourinho declined to assess the club’s title chances. “I don’t want to go in that direction. I don’t want to make a general evaluation of the title race or of our chances. Our odds now are perhaps what they were in August or September. If I do that, I’ll seem like I’m trying to avoid talking about today’s game. In a match we needed to win, we lost two points because of too many mistakes.”

Reflecting on the team’s performance, Mourinho admitted that defensive lapses were a recurring issue. “Every counterattack from our opponent became a danger for us. We lost possession frequently, and each of their goals stemmed from turnovers that should have been avoided. I give credit to the opponent, but these were our errors.”

He highlighted specific moments in the match, particularly the goals conceded as a result of counterattacks. “We couldn’t stop the counterattack after Seba lost the ball, and suddenly we were down 2-1. We took a big risk and played with just one center-back, Skriniar. We brought the game to 3-2, and Nesyri could have finished it off. But after Fred lost possession, they crossed it in, and with Bright not being a natural center-back, he couldn’t close the space, and we conceded again.”

Describing the game as “strange,” Mourinho emphasized the ups and downs in his side’s rhythm. “We had a chance to make it 4-2. After it went 3-3, Skriniar hit the post. We lacked consistency on the field.”

Following their win over Bodrumspor on Friday, Galatasaray now needs just 14 more points to secure the championship, or fewer if Fenerbahce drop additional points.

In the upcoming 33rd week, Fenerbahce will host Gaziantep FK, while Galatasaray travels to face Konyaspor.