Fenerbahce says comments made by Jose Mourinho have been taken out of context after Galatasaray accused The Special One of racism.
The Turkish Süper Lig leaders said they planned to launch criminal proceedings against Mourinho for “derogatory statements” against Turkish people after the two clubs played out a 0-0 draw on Monday.
The club also said it would submit complaints to Uefa and Fifa after the 62-year-old said the Galatasaray bench were “jumping like monkeys” following an early challenge and that the match would have been a disaster if a Turkish referee had been in charge.
The Istanbul derby was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic following a request by both clubs for a foreign match official to take charge.
Galatasaray issued a statement describing Mourinho‘s conduct as “reprehensible”, adding he “has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people” since taking the reins at Fenerbahce in June 2024.
Fenerbahce respond to racism allegations against Jose Mourinho
In response, Fenerbahce accused Galatasaray of “deliberately” distorting the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs manager’s comments with a “completely malicious” statement.
“A statement made by our Technical Director Jose Mourinho after the match was completely taken out of context and an attempt was made to deliberately distort it,” the club said.
“As every sensible person can see and understand; these statements used by Jose Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee decisions during the match can in no way be associated with racism.
“Trying to portray this statement as racist is a completely malicious approach. We would like to inform the public that we will use our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that was made in order to take the competition off the field, change the agenda and manipulate it.”
Mourinho was handed a one-match ban and been fined almost £15,000 earlier this season for his response to Fenerbahce’s 3-2 Süper Lig victory at Trabzonspor.
The Portuguese was charged with “unsportsmanlike behaviour towards opposing team fans” and “diminishing the value of Turkish football and… discrediting the impartiality of the referees and other match officials” during an outspoken post-match interview.
