The chairman of Turkish football’s disciplinary committee has resigned following the leak of controversial WhatsApp messages allegedly targeting Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho.
Celal Nuri Demirtürk stepped down from his position as chairman of the Turkish Football Federation’s (TFF) Professional Football Disciplinary Committee (PFDK), with his resignation confirmed on Monday evening. He has been replaced by Başbuğ Pınarbaşı.
The resignation follows the publication of WhatsApp exchanges which Fenerbahçe described as “hostile” and “clearly violating the principle of impartiality.” The club claims the leaked messages, allegedly between committee members, show clear bias not only against Mourinho but in favour of their rivals, Galatasaray.
In a strongly worded statement, Fenerbahçe said: “Our club has made an official application to the Turkish Football Federation in response to the correspondence that has been made public and is claimed to belong to members of the Professional Football Disciplinary Board.
“We believe that this hostile mentality, which clearly violates the principle of impartiality and is based on showdowns and revenge, has no place in Turkish sports.
“The fact that members of one of the most important boards responsible for establishing justice in Turkish football make such statements not only renders the concept of ‘discipline’ dysfunctional but also constitutes a clear attack on the principles of impartiality and equality in sports.
“As Fenerbahçe Sports Club, we will be following up on the issue and will continue our struggle for clean football until the end.”
The Turkish Football Federation has not yet responded to requests for comment.
It is understood that the leaked messages refer to Mourinho’s conduct and comments following a February ban, initially for four matches, which was later reduced to two. The punishment stemmed from Mourinho’s post-match behaviour after a heated Istanbul derby.
In an interview earlier this year, Mourinho had expressed his concerns about partiality in Turkish football: “After the derby I got a four-match ban. Then it comes to the public eye that the chief of the disciplinary committee is celebrating among friends in a Galatasaray shirt.
“It was exposed on social media. Then my ban of four matches is immediately reduced to two. Only here can you understand the dimension of it.”
Mourinho was swiftly charged with “damaging the reputation of Turkish football”, but the charge was later dismissed. A majority decision concluded: “There is no place for the determination of penalty.”
In the same interview, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager warned of systemic issues in Turkish football: “We have found a good stability on the pitch but everybody knows in this country that, if things don’t change, it is impossible to win the league title.
“I raise my voice in defence of my club and in the defence of Turkish football, because this is a beautiful country. But the football here has to be more than this. So, if I can help this club to do something that can change the direction of Turkish football, that would be a fantastic feeling for me.”
Boluwatife Enome
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