Jose Mourinho Accused Of Making "Racist Statements" By Galatasaray
Galatasaray announced they will “initiate criminal proceedings” against Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho after accusing him of making “racist statements” following their Süper Lig 0-0 draw on Monday, reported BBC Football.
The exact comments Galatasaray referred to were unclear, but Mourinho had said the home bench was “jumping like monkeys” and criticized Turkish referees, calling it a “disaster” to use a local official.
The match was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic after both clubs requested a foreign referee.
After the game, Mourinho was asked about the performance of 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek. He responded:
I 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.
I went to the referee’s dressing room after the game, of course, the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee.
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’.
In a statement, Galatasaray also said they plan to file official complaints to football authorities. Reads the statement:
Since 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.
We 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.
Furthermore, we shall diligently observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce – an institution professing to uphold ‘exemplary moral values’ – in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.
Two-time Champions League winner José Mourinho, 62, became Fenerbahçe’s manager last summer. Earlier this season, he was banned and fined for criticising refereeing standards in Turkey.
Ahead of Monday’s game, Mourinho welcomed the decision to use a foreign referee, having previously described the football environment in Turkey as “toxic.”
After 24 rounds of fixtures, Galatasaray are top of the Süper Lig with 64 points, followed by Fenerbahçe with 58 points. Samsunspor sit third with 46 points, while Beşiktaş, who have played 23 games, are fourth with 41 points.
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