Mourinho Takes Turkey to European Court Over Free Speech
Jose Mourinho has filed a case against Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights, accusing the country of violating his right to free speech during his time as Fenerbahce head coach.
Mourinho signed with the Istanbul club in the summer of 2024 and stayed until August 2025, when he left to take charge of Benfica. During that year, he repeatedly spoke out about referees and the state of Turkish football, comments that landed him in trouble with the Turkish football federation.
The court accepted the case and has since sent formal questions to Turkish authorities, putting the federation's disciplinary decisions under international legal scrutiny.
The federation handed him a one-match ban and an 18,000 euro fine in late 2024. Mourinho filed his ECHR application in March 2025, arguing that Turkey had violated his fundamental right to freedom of expression.
The court accepted the case and has since sent a series of formal questions to Turkish authorities, putting the Turkish football federation's disciplinary decisions under international legal scrutiny.
