Jose Mourinho demands 'self-criticism' from referees in Turkey after avoiding 'disaster' in Galatasaray draw | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho’s side remain six points behind the defending champions

Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho has hit out at Galatasaray and urged referees in Turkey to take note of Slavko Vincic’s performance.

The top two in Turkey played out a goalless draw in a heated Istanbul derby on Monday evening. The hosts will be the happier of the two rivals as the point leaves Fenerbahce with a mountain to climb to dethrone the champions.

One of the main talking points occurred in the first-half when Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen appeared to issue a 'silence' gesture towards Mourinho which sparked a confrontation between both benches on the sidelines.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Mourinho said: "First of all, I think it was a very big, good match. The reason for this was the very good referee performance. He had enough experience and honesty, mentally, to survive in this jungle.

“In fact, it is very difficult to referee in this atmosphere. I think it was a good match for both sides because both teams have top-level players.

“They also have this talent; they also have the ability to turn top-level players into a player profile that I do not really advocate for as a principle. If you ask me for an example, for example, we have an 18-year-old player. He will be a great player for Turkey in the future. They tried to get him a yellow card from the very first minute. That is their mentality.

“But I congratulate the referee. He really coped well in this difficult environment that we can call a jungle. He performed very well. Anyone who watches this match at home or I think it is watched in Europe, I think it is something we can be proud of when we look at the people who watch it. It was a good match.”

Mourinho also aimed a sly dig at Galatasaray, stating they were happy with a point: “They played for a draw. They are very happy for a draw. But we are not,” he added. “If you analyse this match objectively, I think it was a good match.”

Praised: Slavko Vincic

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On where the result leaves the title race, Mourinho said: “We did our best. We are leaving here with a result we did not want. Under normal conditions, I would say this league is still in the middle.

“If you ask, 'What are normal conditions?' If referees in Turkey look at today's referee performance, do some self-criticism and analyze themselves and say, 'I want to be a top-level referee like this. I want to manage the match honestly and cleanly like this referee.'

“Then yes, the better side at the end of the season will be the champion. If the league ends like this, it will be a great race. But if it doesn't end like this, if the circus we've seen since the beginning of the year continues, then the story will have a different ending.

“Today, for the first time, I felt this because I came here to play a match; I felt how they behaved in every way. A good organization. Not a clean organization, a good organization."

The reason for this was the very good referee performance. He had enough experience and honesty, mentally, to survive in this jungle

Jose Mourinho

Mourinho continued his plea for the standard of refereeing to improve in his post-match press conference, claiming the game would have been a disaster had an Turkish official took charge.

"After the match I went to the referee's room. I said to Slavko Vincic, 'Thank you for coming here and refereeing this big match'," he said. "The Turkish referee was there too. Then I turned to him and said, 'If a Turkish referee had refereed this match, it would have been a disaster'."