Galatasaray have accused Jose Mourinho of making ‘racist statements’ and the club say they will file criminal charges against the Fenerbahce manager.
The latest instalment of the bitter Istanbul rivalry played out on Monday, with Gala maintaining their six-point buffer at the top of the Turkish Super Lig after a 0-0 draw on home turf.
Following the match, Galatasaray released a damning statement on rival boss Mourinho. It read: “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.”
While the club did not reference the statement they were unhappy with, their outrage is believed to stem from Mourinho saying that their substitutes’ bench was ‘jumping like monkeys’.
Both sides requested that an overseas referee take charge of Monday’s showdown, with Slovenian official Slavko Vincic flown in by the Turkish Football Federation amid widespread mistrust of homegrown options.
When asked to assess the performance of his 19-year-old Fenerbahce defender Yusuf Akcicek in his post-match press conference, Mourinho said: “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’.”
MORE TO FOLLOW
We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
For the latest news and breaking news visit: express.co.uk/sport/football. Stay up to date with all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
Follow us on Twitter @dexpress_sport – the official Daily Express & Express.co.uk Twitter account – providing real news in real time.
We’re also on Facebook @dailyexpresssport – offering your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day to like, comment and share from the Daily Express, Sunday Express and Express.co.uk.
