February 25 – José Mourinho is making headline news again for all the wrong reasons after his latest controversial outburst about Turkish football.
Galatasaray have accused Mourinho of making “racist statements” and said they will initiate criminal proceedings against the Fenerbahçe manager over his comments following the 0-0 draw on Monday between the two arch-rivals.
While it was not clear which statements Galatasaray were 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.
Mourinho, the self-styled Special One when he managed in England, had welcomed the appointment of overseas referee Slavko Vinčić as the man in the middle for the Istanbul derby.
“Anyone, not just from this country but also abroad, watched a big football match. I think the man responsible for that was the referee,” he said.
After the game Mourinho was asked about the performance of 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akçiçek and responded: “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.”
Earlier this season Mourinho was banned and fined following a diatribe about Turkish football when he said he was fighting “the system” and suggested officials were biased against his team.
In a statement, Galatasaray condemned the latest comments in no uncertain fashion.
“Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric,” a statement said.
“We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by José 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.”
Contact the writer of this story, Andrew Warshaw, at moc.l1740492117labto1740492117ofdlr1740492117owedi1740492117sni@w1740492117ahsra1740492117w.wer1740492117dna1740492117