Galatasaray accuse Mourinho of making âracist statementsâ
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Jose Mourinho was appointed Fenerbahce manager in 2024
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Galatasaray said they would âinitiate criminal proceedingsâ against Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho after claiming he made âracist statementsâ following the teamsâ 0-0 draw on Monday.
Speaking in the news conference after the Istanbul derby, Mourinho said the Galatasaray bench had been âjumping like monkeysâ.
As well as the threat of legal action, Galatasaray said they would submit âofficial complaintsâ to footballâs governing bodies.
Mourinho â a former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager â and Fenerbahce are yet to responded to the accusations.
Mondayâs match was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic after both clubs requested a foreign official take charge of the fixture.
Asked after the game Mourinho was asked about the performance of 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek and said: âI have to thank the referee. After the big dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on the 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.â
In a statement, Galatasaray said: âSince 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.
âWe 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.
âFurthermore, we shall diligently observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce â an institution professing to uphold âexemplary moral valuesâ â in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.â
Two-time Champions League winner Mourinho, 62, was appointed Fenerbahce manager last summer and was banned and fined earlier this season for condemning refereeing standards in Turkey.
BBC Sport has contacted Fenerbahce for comment