Turkish football club Galatasaray accuses Mourinho of ‘racist statements’

Turkish football club Galatasaray has accused Jose Mourinho of making “racist statements”, saying it will initiate criminal proceedings against the Fenerbahce manager over his comments following the teams’ 0-0 draw in the Super Lig.

While it was unclear which statements Galatasaray was referring to, Mourinho said the home side’s bench had been “jumping like monkeys” and that the match would have been a disaster if a Turkish referee had been in charge.

Monday’s game was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic after both clubs requested a foreign official take charge.

Galatasaray said on X that Mourinho had “persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people” since taking up his role in the league.

“Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric,” the club said.

“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.”

Fenerbahce issued a statement defending the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager, saying Mourinho’s comments were taken out of context and deliberately distorted.

“As every common sense person can see and understand; these expressions, used by Jose Mourinho to describe the extreme reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee’s decisions during the match, can in no way be associated with racism,” the club said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Trying to portray this discourse as racist is a completely malevolent approach. We would like to inform the public that we will exercise our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that aims to take the competition out of the field, change the agenda and manipulate it.”

📌 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

‘The crying one’

Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk also weighed in on the controversy, mocking Mourinho’s response.

“The speech of ‘The crying one’ took a bit too long … You know, he is famous for crying, and once again, he cried for a long time here,” Buruk told a news conference on Monday.

“He cried inside, he went into the referee’s room and cried … Let him keep crying.”

Mourinho has previously been fined and suspended for his comments about Turkish match officials. The Portuguese was again critical of Turkish referees in a news conference after the match.

“I went to the referees’ dressing room after the game. Of course, the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee,” Mourinho said.

“I told him [Vincic], ‘Thank you to come here because you come for a big match and you are responsible for a big match.

“And I turned myself to the fourth official and I [said], ‘this match, if you are the referee, this match would be a disaster.’

“And when I say him, I say the general tendency.”

Mourinho also praised Vincic for not giving a yellow card to defender Yusuf Akcicek early in the match despite the animated reaction of the Galatsarary bench to a challenge.

“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 after one minute and after five minutes I would have to change him,” he added.

In November, the outspoken Mourinho was banned for a game and fined following his diatribe about Turkish football, when he said he was fighting “the system” and suggested officials are biased against his team.

He has led Fenerbahce to a Europa League round-of-16 contest, where they face against Scottish club Rangers in March.

There was no immediate comment from Fenerbahce, who are second in the Super Lig six points behind Galatasaray.