Sergen Yalcin has accused Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho of having "a problem with Turkish players".
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Mourinho accused of disliking TurksCoach has had several incidents this seasonServing latest touchline ban Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Mourinho has been at the centre of plenty of drama since taking over as Fenerbahce boss and is most recently serving a touchline ban for pinching the nose of Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk. Earlier in the season, the Portuguese head coach was also sanctioned for criticising the celebrations from his rivals' bench and is now under fire from Yalcin, an ex-Fenerbahce midfielder who spent the majority of his career in Turkey.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT YALCIN SAID
Speaking on Mourinho's disciplinary issues in Turkey, Yalcin claims that the former Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United boss has a problem with players from his native land, citing Cengiz Under as an example. He said: "I think Mourinho has a problem with Turkish players. And I can give you some examples. Fenerbahce bought a player called Cengiz. They paid a fortune for him. And where is he? He's not here! Does Cengiz have the ability to play for a big club in Turkey? He does! Is he a national team player? Yes! But he's not in the national team or at Fenerbahce, he's disappeared. In my opinion, he's a very important player."
He continued: "Then there's Ismail [Yuksek], where is he? He's not there. And why isn't he there? He came back from injury, he played in the starting eleven for the national team. Wasn't Irfan Can Kahveci the most important player last season for Fenerbahce? Where is he? He's not there! None of the Turkish players are there. Who are the Turkish players playing for Fenerbahce? Mert Muldur has been playing recently. Goalkeeper Irfan Can has been playing a few times. Oguz Aydin has been playing, but he was also absent from the last match. Fenerbahce came out with seven changes after the cup game against Galatasaray. I don't think that's normal either."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Despite the criticism from Yalcin, Mourinho has still turned Fenerbahce into a dangerous side. They did recently bow out of the Europa League at the hands of Rangers, but they remain in the hunt for the Super Lig title, sitting just three points off leaders Galatasaray.
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MOURINHO?
Mourinho has served one of his three matches in the stands but will be missing again for Fenerbahce's upcoming Super Lig games against Sivasspor and Kayserispor.