Jose Mourinho has been accused of making “racist statements” by Galatasaray after Monday night’s Istanbul derby. And the Turkish giants have vowed to take legal action against the Fenerbahce boss.
Galatasaray want UEFA and FIFA to act over the Portuguese manager after announcing they plan to make a criminal complaint about his post-match comments. Tensions had risen before the Super Lig title showdown after Slovenian official Slavko Vincic was drafted in by the Turkish Football Federation. Mourinho – who has been heavily critical of refereeing in Turkey – later praised the performance of Vincic, claiming that it would have been a “disaster” if the goalless draw had been refereed by a Turkish whistler.
The 62-year-old also said the home bench had been “jumping like monkeys” following an early challenge in the powderkeg clash. And the ex-Man United, Chelsea and Tottenham gaffer’s remarks have angered Galatasaray, who released a statement on Monday night alleging Mourinho made racist comments following the 0-0 draw.
It read: “Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.
“We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA. Furthermore, we shall diligently observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce – an institution professing to uphold ‘exemplary moral values’ – in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.”
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Mourinho said: “I went to the referee’s dressing room after the game. The fourth official was there – a Turkish referee – I told him if you are the referee it would be a disaster.
“If they’re [Galatasaray] really, really good. If they want to be an example of ‘we are good, we are strong, we are the champions, we want to show how good we are’, they should ask for foreign referees every match.
“But when the referees are foreign, UEFA Cup – go home, against us at home – one shot on target. But if they are good and they believe really in themselves and in their power, they should ask the federation.
“We thank the referee because after the big dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid, with a Turkish referee, the kid would have a yellow card after one minute and after five minutes I would have to change. Thankfully it was a perfect experience for him.”
Mourinho – whose side trails league leaders Galatasaray by six points – faces Rangers in next month’s Europa League last 16 double-header.