Galatasaray 0-0 Fenerbahce: Jose Mourinho booked after Victor Osimhen 'silence' gesture sparks confrontation | OneFootball

Galatasaray will be the happier of the two rivals after a goalless draw in the Istanbul derby

Jose Mourinho was shown a yellow card as Fenerbahce’s hopes of being crowned Turkish Super Lig champions this season suffered a blow in a goalless draw with Galatasaray.

Aside from the obvious title implications, the big talking point ahead of kick-off was, Slovenian official Slavko Vincic being appointed as the referee amid controversy around refereeing standards in Turkey and claims of bias towards teams.

Vincic refereed the Champions League Final last season and this was the first time a foreign referee had been appointed to oversee a game in the Turkish Super Lig.

Mourinho has regularly criticised referees in Turkey since taking over as Fenerbahce manager last summer and welcomed the decision, saying it was an important step to boosting “credibility”.

“The decision has been made and he is a top-level referee, I think it is important for credibility,” Mourinho said, as per Turkish outlet Hurriyet.

“I am happy with this decision. Although it may not seem like it sometimes, I am a person who wants fair play. We want to win, they want to win. I hope it will be a big match.”

However, Mourinho was booked by Vincic.

In an intense first-half, one controversial moment occurred when Fenerbahce saw a goal was disallowed due to a foul on goalkeeper Fernando Muslera in the buildup.The decision sparked protests on the pitch as emotions began to rise between the players.

Then just after the half hour mark, Victor Osimhen went down inside the box after a push. But after his penalty appeals were turned down, he appeared to turned towards Mourinho with a “silence” gesture, which triggered confrontation between both benches and resulted in yellow cards for both coaches, Mourinho and Okan Buruk.

Jose Mourinho was shown a yellow card during Fenerbahce’s draw with Galatasaray

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Mourinho did aim a sly dig at Osimhen after his shock Galatasaray move last summer, citing the forward “dives too much” and perhaps that was what fuelled the Nigeria international’s gesture.

Fenerbahce pushed for a winner in the second half but found Muslera in fine form as the two rivals had to settle for a share of the points. The result certainly suits Galatasaray more as they maintain a six-point lead over their closest challengers at the top of the table.

With 12 games remaining, Fenerbahce are facing an uphill battle to dethrone the champions of Turkey.