Jose Mourinho accused of ‘racist comments’ and top club vow ‘criminal proceedings’

Jose Mourinho has become embroiled in a racism row after the Fenerbahce boss was accused of making ‘racist comments’ by Galatasaray after a fierce Istanbul derby

Jose Mourinho has been accused of making 'racist comments'

Jose Mourinho has been accused of making ‘racist comments’ in Turkey following the fierce Istanbul derby.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager is the current boss of Turkish giants Fenerbahce, and Mourinho is now embroiled in a racism row after he was accused by their arch-rivals.

Galatasaray added they would ‘initiate criminal proceedings’ against Mourinho following the 0-0 draw between the teams on Monday (February 24). It is not clear which comments Galatasaray are referring to. The ill-tempered clash had to be paused after flares were thrown in the stands despite a reported 30,000 police officers on duty at the game.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Mourinho said the home bench had been “jumping like monkeys” and repeated his criticism of Turkish referees as he applauded the appointment of Slovenian official Slavko Vincic after both teams reportedly requested a foreign referee to officiate the match.

Mourinho added: “I must also thank the referee. He had enough honesty to manage this match well. They tried to get a yellow card for our 18-year-old player from the first minute, but the referee managed the game well.

“Everyone on the opponent's bench was jumping like monkeys. If it were a Turkish referee, they would have immediately given the card, and I would have had to take the player off in a minute.”

In response to Mourinho’s comments, Galatasaray issued a scathing statement, adding the #SayNoToRacism tag. "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. #SayNoToRacism."

Mourinho is yet to responded to the allegations against him.