In brief
Galatasaray announced plans to initiate criminal proceedings against Fenerbahce's Jose Mourinho after he allegedly made racist comments during a press conference after their recent match.
In the aftermath of the scoreless Istanbul derby on Monday, Galatasaray stated they would pursue legal measures against Fenerbahce's manager, Jose Mourinho, for purportedly making "racist statements." Details of the comments that instigated this action remain unclear. During a press briefing following the game, Mourinho made a remark about the opposing bench "jumping like monkeys," and he also expressed his disdain for Turkish referees, warning it would lead to a "disaster" to have one officiate that match. The encounter was refereed by a Slovenian official, Slavko Vincic, after both teams requested a foreign referee in light of their mutual grievances regarding domestic officiating. Accompanying their legal threats, Galatasaray announced plans to file formal complaints with international football governing bodies, UEFA and FIFA. Mourinho, who has previously managed high-profile clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham, has not yet responded to these accusations or the club's declaration. Mourinho's comments followed a specific incident in the game where he felt his young player, 19-year-old Yusuf Akcicek, was unfairly judged. He indicated that had a Turkish referee supervised the match, Akcicek would have faced a yellow card within minutes for an alleged dive. He stated, “I told him 'thank you for coming here, you come for a big match,' and I turned myself to the fourth official and I said 'if you were a referee this match would be a disaster.'” Galatasaray issued a statement condemning Mourinho's remarks, claiming they have escalated from offensive to undoubtedly inhumane rhetoric since he began his managerial role in Turkey. Their statement reflected a wider concern about the impact of his comments on the Turkish people, reinforcing their commitment to uphold moral standards. Mourinho, who has won the Champions League twice, took over as Fenerbahce manager last summer and faced suspension and fines earlier this season for his critical comments regarding the standard of refereeing in Turkey. Before the recent match, he had previously lauded the decision to appoint foreign referees, calling the local environment "toxic." BBC Sport has reached out to Fenerbahce for their response to the allegations.
