Turkish football club Fenerbahce is planning to take legal action after their rivals, Galatasaray, accused their manager, Jose Mourinho, of making racist comments.
In an interview with Mail Sport, Fenerbahce’s vice president, Acun Ilicali, revealed that the club had consulted with their lawyers following a tense match on February 24, when the two teams drew 0-0.
After the match, Mourinho was accused of racial discrimination by Galatasaray. He had made a comment about the Galatasaray bench “jumping like monkeys” after a challenge and also suggested that the game was better because it was officiated by a Slovenian referee, not a Turkish one.
In response, Galatasaray released a statement saying they would take criminal action and file complaints with UEFA and FIFA about Mourinho’s remarks.
Ilicali defended Mourinho, saying that the comments were not meant to be racist and that Fenerbahce was sure of it. He explained that Mourinho’s words were simply describing a movement, like saying “you are running like a rabbit” or “you are bad like a snake.” Ilicali said it was a misunderstanding and accused Galatasaray of twisting Mourinho’s words for their own benefit.
Ilicali confirmed that Fenerbahce would take Galatasaray to court over the accusations, calling them disgusting.
Galatasaray’s statement, which included the phrase “say no to racism,” said that Mourinho had made offensive comments about the Turkish people and that his remarks had gone beyond being immoral to inhumane. The club announced plans to initiate criminal proceedings and submit complaints to UEFA and FIFA.
