Galatasaray have said they will launch criminal proceedings against Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho over alleged racist statements following the Istanbul derby between the Turkish Super Lig top two on Monday.
In a statement around three hours after the 0-0 draw between the sides at their Rams Park home, the Turkish top-flight leaders alleged Mourinho had “persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people” during his first season in Turkiye.
“Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric,” they added alongside the logo of the global football ‘say no to racism’ campaign.
“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 [European administrative body] UEFA and [global body] 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.”
📌 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
Galatasaray vs Fenerbahce
While Galatasaray did not specify which remarks their statement referred to, reports from outlets including Turkish publication Fanatik quoted Mourinho to have made remarks about the opposition technical area after the match.
“Everyone on the opposing bench was jumping like monkeys on the player,” Mourinho reportedly said, accusing Galatasaray of attempting to earn bookings for 19-year-old visiting defender Yusuf Akcicek, who was given a rare start in one of the most intense rivalries in world football.
“If it was a Turkish referee, he would have given a yellow card in the first minute and I would have had to change him in the fifth minute.”
Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, who officiated last season’s Champions League final, approached the technical areas to caution Mourinho and Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk in a separate incident in the 34th minute.
Mourinho praises referee Vincic
A frequent critic of refereeing in Turkiye since his appointment by Fenerbahce last June, Mourinho said before the game that Vincic’s involvement was “important for credibility” and effusively praised him afterwards, reportedly calling his performance “top-notch”.
“If referees in Turkiye look at the performance of this referee, self-criticise and say ‘I want to manage a clean and honest match like this referee’, the season will end well and excitingly,” the Portuguese suggested.
Fenerbahce had an early Oguz Aydın strike ruled out because of a foul by Sebastian Szymanski on goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
The result leaves Mourinho’s side six points behind the reigning champions with 14 league matches left for each club this season.