Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has raised concerns about the officiating in his team’s UEFA Europa League exit at the hands of Rangers. The Turkish side was eliminated despite winning 2-0 in the second leg in Scotland on Thursday night. Their 3-1 defeat at home in the first leg meant they fell short on aggregate.
Fenerbahce needed a three-goal victory without conceding to overturn the deficit and advance to the quarter-finals. However, Mourinho believes some crucial refereeing decisions went against his team, making their task even harder.
The experienced Portuguese coach, who has managed top clubs like Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, suggested that past incidents in European competitions may still be affecting how matches involving his teams are officiated. He referenced the controversial UEFA Europa League final in Budapest last season, where he was suspended for his actions during and after the match.
Speaking after the game, Mourinho said, “I hope everything that’s happened to me in European competitions is not a consequence of the Budapest final and I hope it’s just random.”
He also pointed out specific instances where he felt refereeing decisions went against Fenerbahce. He mentioned that they missed out on Champions League qualification earlier this season due to a late penalty call that only the fourth official had spotted. He also questioned the VAR decisions in the match against Rangers, stating that one of the top VAR officials failed to award what he believed were three penalties in their favor.
“Today we come here and the VAR is considered one of the best VARs, he didn’t see one of three penalties. I just hope it’s random.”
Mourinho further stated that he had already served his suspension from last year’s final and hoped that these issues were not a continuation of that punishment. He added, “I paid for the suspension and I hope that it’s over. I pray that this is just bad luck.”
