Galatasaray accuses Fenerbahce’s Mourinho of “racist statements” and plans criminal action
The specific content of Mourinho’s comments remains unclear, but he was reported to have remarked that the home side’s bench was “jumping like monkeys.” He also stated that the match would have been a “disaster” if a Turkish referee had been officiating.
The match was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic, who was brought in at both teams’ request to avoid any complications with local officials.
Galatasaray took to social media to express its outrage, claiming that Mourinho has consistently made “derogatory statements aimed at the Turkish people” since his arrival in Turkey, escalating into “inhuman rhetoric.”
“We hereby declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings against the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho and will submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA,” the club stated.
📌 Club Statement from Galatasaray SK
Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Türkiye, Fenerbahçe manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments…
pic.twitter.com/NRLsk9F4kT
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) February 24, 2025
Mourinho, who has a history of fines and suspensions for criticizing Turkish match officials, made similar comments during a post-match press conference. He visited the referee’s dressing room after the game to compliment the Slovenian official for not expelling a Galatasaray player despite the players’ simulation of a foul and the bench’s loud reactions.
“If a Turkish referee had been in charge, you would have seen a yellow card,” he said. He also argued that Turkish referees tend to show favoritism against his team and described the overall referee’s performance as positive.
In November, Mourinho was banned for one game and fined following his criticism of Turkish football officials. Despite the controversy, he has led Fenerbahce to a Europa League round-of-16 spot, where they will face Scottish club Rangers in March.
As of the moment, there has been no response from Fenerbahce, who sit second in the Super Lig, six points behind Galatasaray.
![Turkish anti-riot police officers hold their shields on the pitch at the end of the Turkish Super Lig match between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium in Istanbul [Ozan Kose/AFP]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AFP__20250224__36YJ6VB__v2__HighRes__TopshotFblTurSuperligGalatasarayFenerbahce-1740461119.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513)
