Galatasaray set to initiate criminal proceedings against Jose Mourinho following racist ‘monkey’ comments

Galatasaray are expected to begin criminal proceedings against Fenerbahce boss Jose Mouirnho, over his 'diving like monkeys' comment.

Galatasaray set to initiate criminal proceedings against Jose Mourinho following racist ‘monkey’ comments

Galatasaray shall initiate legal proceedings over Fenerbahce boss Jose Mouirnho's racist comments, following a 0-0 draw between the two sides. (via SuperSport)

Turkish giants Galatasaray accused Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho of racism, and will initiate criminal proceedings against the Portuguese manager. Following his side’s 0-0 draw against their city-rivals, Mourinho used the term ‘monkey’ while referring to the Galatasaray bench.

The highly-anticipate Intercontinental derby between the two Istanbul giants ended in a draw, at the RAMS Park stadium. Galatasaray and Fenerbahce sit in the first and second places respectively, with six points separating them. The game was played in the backdrop of rising tensions between the two clubs, after Fenerbahce had recently accused their city-rivals of destroying Turkish football with money.

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Jose Mourinho had already grabbed headlines prior to the match. He welcomed the decision to bring in Swedish referee Slavko Vincic to officiate the match. It came after repeated complaints from the Portuguese manager about the refereeing standards in Turkey. Mourinho later went on to state that the match between the two teams would have been a ‘disaster’, had it been refereed by a Turkish official.

However, Mourinho’s post-match comments about the behavior of the Galatasaray bench is what led to a controversy. While speaking about Fenerbahce defender Yusuf Akcicek‘s display, he went on to claim that the rival players ‘jumped like monkeys’ after every challenge by the 19-year-old. This did not hold well with the Galatasaray management, who accused the 62-year-old of ‘racist commenting’.

I have also to thank the referee because with a Turkish referee after the big dive in the first minute, their bench jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid, with a Turkish referee you would have a yellow card.

Jose Mourinho to reporters (H/T Guardian)

The Turkish SL leaders, in an official statement, expressed its anger with Mourinho’s comments. The club labeled his comments as ‘immoral’ and ‘inhumane’. Galatasaray will also initiate criminal proceedings against the manager, and submit complaints to UEFA and FIFA.

Fenerbahce reacts to allegations of manager Jose Mourinho’s racist remarks

Turkish SL giants Fenerbahce reacted to the allegations of manager Jose Mourinho being accused of racism, during the club’s match against Galatasaray. The Portuguese manager had stated that the Galatasaray bench was ‘jumping like monkeys’ during the match.

Jose Mourinho Fenerbahce statements
Fenerbahce responded to Galatasaray’s allegations of manager Jose Mourinho making racist comments. (via Guardian)

Fenerbahce, in an official statement after the match, exclaimed that the 62-year-old former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager’s comments had been taken out of context. The club claimed that Mourinho’s comments were not ‘racist’, and was only a reference to Galatasaray’s excessive reaction. The club added that it would take legal measures, in case of a manipulation of events.

Nonetheless, Fenerbahce will be hoping to recover from their recent two match win-less run in the Turkish league. They next face Gaziantep FK away from home. It will be followed by a Europa League last-16 encounter against Rangers.