Galatasaray has announced it will initiate criminal proceedings against Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho following his post-match comments after Monday’s 0-0 derby.
The Turkish club accused the Portuguese coach of making racist statements and vowed to file official complaints with UEFA and FIFA, a development highlighted by Softfootball.
The controversy centers on remarks Mourinho made during his press conference, where he described the Galatasaray bench as jumping like monkeys and criticized the general standard of Turkish refereeing. While the match was officiated by Slovenian Slavko Vincic at both clubs’ request.
Mourinho used the opportunity to contrast the foreign official with local ones. He told reporters:
I turned myself to the fourth official and I (said) ‘this match, if you are the referee, this match would be a disaster.’”
Galatasaray stated on social media that Mourinho’s rhetoric had escalated beyond immorality into unequivocally inhumane territory. They declared:
We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho also referenced an early incident involving defender Yusuf Akcicek, claiming a Turkish referee would have issued a yellow card immediately due to the opposing bench’s reaction. He added:
With a Turkish referee after the big dive in the first minute, their bench jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid… you would have a yellow card after one minute.
This is not the first time Mourinho has faced disciplinary action for his views on Turkish officials, having previously been fined and suspended for similar criticisms.
