Mourinho accused of RACISM by Galatasaray with CRIMINAL complaint filed against Fenerbahce manager

Suraj Radia

• 25 Feb 2025 01:15 CST
• 3 min read

Jose Mourinho has been accused of ‘racism’ by Galatasaray, who have announced they will be filing a criminal complaint against the Fenerbahce manager for his ‘derogatory’ remarks to Turkish people.

The stunning accusation comes after the goalless draw between Fenerbahce and rivals Galatasaray on Monday in a heated derby that saw Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic hand out seven bookings.

FABRIZIO ROMANO TRANSFER UPDATE: Liverpool signing CONFIRMED, FOUR Barcelona deals, Lookman GUARANTEE

The game was also halted briefly in the 52nd minute due to flares being thrown onto the pitch by fans, while both sets of players also refused to shake hands prior to kick-off.

Mourinho has repeatedly criticised referees during his time in Turkey but the Portuguese coach praised Vincic for his handling of the game, claiming Galatasaray’s bench were ‘jumping like monkeys’ and that a Turkish referee would have lost control of the match.

“I must also thank the referee,” Mourinho said. “He had enough honesty to manage this match well. They tried to get a yellow card for our 18-year-old player from the first minute, but the referee managed the game well.'

“Everyone on the opponent's bench was jumping like monkeys. If it were a Turkish referee, they would have immediately given the card, and I would have had to take the player off in a minute.”

Galatasaray to initiate criminal proceedings against Mourinho

Mourinho’s comments prompted Galatasaray to release an announcement on their website accusing the 62-year-old of ‘inhumane rhetoric’ towards Turkish people.

A statement read: “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 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 Fenerbahçe—an institution professing to uphold “exemplary moral values”—in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.”

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk also took aim at Mourinho after the match, saying: “You know the talk about the crying one, he is famous for his crying, again he cried here for a long time, he cried inside, he entered referee's room and cried. May he continue crying!”

Mourinho and Fenerbahce have yet to respond to the accusations by Galatasaray.