The chairman of Turkey’s Professional Football Disciplinary Committee (PFDK), Celal Nuri Demiturk, has officially stepped down following the leak of private conversations in which he made disparaging remarks about Fenerbahce manager, Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho, who recently took over as Fenerbahce’s head coach, has already made headlines with his bold and outspoken style—a reputation that appears to have sparked tension within Turkish football’s regulatory bodies.
Demiturk was among the officials caught in leaked chats reacting negatively to Mourinho’s jabs and media persona. The backlash from fans and Fenerbahce was swift, with the club calling for his resignation and labeling the remarks as “hostile” and a breach of neutrality.
In a strongly worded statement, Fenerbahce argued that the leaked messages “clearly violate the principle of impartiality” expected from the PFDK, which operates under the authority of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF).
Following Demiturk’s resignation, Basbug Pinarbasi has been appointed as the new chairman of the PFDK.
The incident has further intensified the spotlight on Mourinho’s tenure in Turkey, as tensions between football institutions and the Portuguese manager continue to stir headlines.
