Football: Galatasaray accuses José Mourinho of "racist remarks" after the derby against Fenerbahce
The comments made by the Portuguese coach of Fenerbahce, at the end of the derby this Monday in the Süper Lig, have aroused the wrath of the great Istanbul rival.
By Le Parisien with AFPFrench football unfortunately does not have a monopoly on controversy. Galatasaray has accused José Mourinho, the coach of Fenerbahce , of having made "racist remarks" after the draw between the two rival clubs in Istanbul on Monday evening and has announced that it will file a complaint.
"We formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings regarding the racist remarks made by José Mourinho, and we will accordingly file formal complaints with UEFA and FIFA," Galatasaray said in a statement accompanied by the slogan "Say no to racism" , without specifying which statements were targeted.
Speaking at a press conference after the 0-0 draw, the 62-year-old Portuguese coach said "the Galatasaray bench were jumping like monkeys" in reaction to the refereeing decisions.
Mourinho "thanked the referee" Slovenian Slavko Vincic, who he said was more impartial than the Turkish referees. The Turkish FA had appointed a foreign referee to officiate the heated match, with Fenerbahce accusing the Turkish referees of favouring league leaders Galatasaray over their rivals.
"Since he took office in Turkey, Fenerbahçe coach Jose Mourinho has continued to make derogatory statements about the Turkish people," Galatasaray added. "Today, his discourse has gone from simple immoral comments to inhumane rhetoric."
"Furthermore, we will carefully monitor the position adopted by Fenerbahçe - an institution that claims to uphold 'exemplary moral values' - in response to the reprehensible conduct of its manager," Galatasaray concluded.
In Turkey, José Mourinho was fined €18,000 in November 2024 after severely criticising a referee. Galatasaray leads the Turkish league with a 6-point lead over runner-up Fenerbahce.
Neither Mourinho nor Fenerbahce immediately commented.
Le Parisien
