Galatasaray accuse Mourinho of making 'racist statements'

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Galatasaray announced their intention to "pursue legal action" against Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho, accusing him of making "racist remarks" in the wake of the teams’ goalless draw on Monday.

The specific remarks that Galatasaray was referring to were unclear.

During the press conference that followed the Istanbul derby, Mourinho remarked that the home bench had been "jumping like monkeys" and reiterated his discontent with Turkish referees, asserting that it would have been a "disaster" to employ an official from Turkey.

The match on Monday was officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic after both teams requested a foreign referee oversee the game.

In addition to the potential legal measures, Galatasaray stated they would file "official complaints" with the relevant football authorities.

Following the match, Mourinho was asked about the play of 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek and expressed, "I must thank the referee. After the significant dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on top of the kid... with a Turkish referee, you would receive a yellow card within the first minute and five minutes later, I would have to substitute him."

He continued, "I visited the referee's dressing room post-match, and of course, the fourth official was present, a Turkish referee. I expressed to him, 'thank you for being here for such a significant match,' and then addressed the fourth official saying, 'if you had been the referee, this match would have been a disaster.'"

In their announcement, Galatasaray stated, "Since taking on his role as manager in Turkey, Fenerbahce's Jose Mourinho has repeatedly made derogatory comments towards the Turkish populace. His remarks have now crossed the line into blatantly inhumane language.

"We formally announce our decision to initiate criminal proceedings regarding the racist remarks made by Jose Mourinho and will file official complaints to Uefa and Fifa.

"Moreover, we will closely monitor the response from Fenerbahce—an organization that claims to uphold 'exemplary moral values'—towards the disgraceful behavior displayed by their manager."

On Tuesday, Fenerbahce issued a statement claiming that Mourinho’s words had been "entirely taken out of context."

"As anyone with common sense can see and comprehend, the terms used by Jose Mourinho to describe the exaggerated reaction of the opposing technical staff to referee decisions during the match cannot possibly be linked to racism," the club asserted.

"To frame this statement as racist is an entirely malicious viewpoint.

"We wish to inform the public that we will exercise our legal rights against this absurd slander designed to divert attention from the competition, alter the narrative, and manipulate it."

Jose Mourinho, who is 62 and a two-time Champions League victor, became Fenerbahce’s manager last summer and faced a ban and fine earlier this season for denouncing the standards of refereeing in Turkey.

Prior to Monday's game, he had welcomed the decision to appoint a foreign official, having previously characterized the environment in Turkey as "toxic."

"I believe that maintaining credibility is essential for the perception of the match," Mourinho stated.