Galatasaray Threatens Legal Action Against Mourinho Over Alleged ‘Racist Comments’
Galatasaray has announced plans to “initiate criminal proceedings” against Fenerbahce manager José Mourinho following claims that he made “racist statements” after the teams’ goalless draw on Monday.
It remains unclear which specific remarks Galatasaray was referring to. However, during his post-match press conference, Mourinho made comments about the behavior of the Fenerbahce bench, saying they were “jumping like monkeys.” He also reiterated his criticism of Turkish referees, stating that it would have been a “disaster” to use a local official for the match.
The game, which took place in Istanbul, was officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, after both clubs requested a foreign referee for the fixture.
In addition to pursuing legal action, Galatasaray confirmed they would be filing “official complaints” with football’s governing bodies, including UEFA and FIFA. Mourinho, a former manager of Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham, and Fenerbahce have not yet responded to the allegations.
After the match, Mourinho was asked about the performance of 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek. He said, “I have to thank the referee. After the big dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on top of the kid… with a Turkish referee, you would have a yellow card after one minute, and after five minutes, I would have to change him.”
Mourinho continued his criticism of Turkish referees, adding, “I went to the referee’s dressing room after the game, of course, the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee. I told him, ‘thank you for coming here, you came for a big match,’ and I turned to the fourth official and said, ‘if you were the referee, this match would have been a disaster.'”
In response, Galatasaray issued a statement condemning Mourinho’s remarks. “Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager José Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.”
The statement continued, “We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by José Mourinho and will submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA. Furthermore, we shall observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce — an institution professing to uphold ‘exemplary moral values’ — in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.”
On Tuesday, Fenerbahce released a statement defending Mourinho, claiming his words were “completely taken out of context.” The club stated, “As every sensible person can see and understand, these statements used by José Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee’s decisions during the match can in no way be associated with racism. Trying to portray this statement as racist is a completely malicious approach.”
Fenerbahce added that they would exercise their legal rights in response to the “slander” aimed at Mourinho, accusing critics of attempting to shift the focus off the pitch and manipulate the narrative.
Mourinho, 62, who was appointed Fenerbahce manager last summer, was previously banned and fined earlier this season for criticizing refereeing standards in Turkey. Ahead of Monday’s match, Mourinho had welcomed the decision to use a foreign referee, describing the environment in Turkey as “toxic.” He said, “I think it’s important for the credibility, for the image of the match.”
MULTINATIONAL sport has reached out to Fenerbahce for further comment