By Associated Press
Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho was fined and banned for three matches after grabbing the nose of Galatasaray counterpart Okan Buruk at the end of a fiery Istanbul derby last week.
Mourinho served the first of his three-match ban on Sunday as his team beat Trabzonspor 4-1. He will miss further league matches against Sivasspor and Kayserispor.
The Turkish soccer federation also fined Mourinho around $7,700.
The incident happened after Galatasaray’s 2-1 win over Fenerbahce in the Turkish Cup on Wednesday. Mourinho — Fenerbahce’s storied coach — reached out from behind Buruk and made contact with his nose. Buruk fell to the ground holding his face before Mourinho was escorted away.
Fenerbahce later accused Buruk of throwing himself to the ground as if he’d been “shot.”
Second-placed Fenerbahce trails Galatasaray by three points in the Super Lig.
AP