Mourinho takes Turkey to top Europe rights court over sanctions

The lawsuit at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was filed in March 2025, nearly six months before he was fired by the Super Lig club after it failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Court documents seen by AFP on Thursday show the Portuguese coach filed suit over the “disciplinary sanctions” imposed on him by the Turkish Football Federation for “unsportsmanlike conduct”.

At issue were remarks he made about supporters of a rival team and about Turkish referees in November 2024, which resulted in a match ban and two fines of some $21,000.

Under Article 6 of the European Convention “the applicant complains that the dispute in question had not been determined by an independent and impartial tribunal,” said an ECHR document dated May 13.

He also said he had “not been notified” about the TFF’s decision, while under Article 10, he claimed his “right to freedom of expression was infringed by the sanctions imposed”.

The court accepted the complaint and laid out a series of questions for the Turkish authorities.

When Mourinho arrived in Istanbul in June 2024, the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ received a rockstar’s welcome from fans decked out in Fenerbahce’s yellow and black.

But he failed to make good on his dream of ending the title drought that has plagued the club since 2014 and was shown the door 14 months later.

Since leaving, he has been coaching Portuguese club Benfica but could return in the coming days to retake the reins at Real Madrid, which he managed between 2010 and 2013.