On Friday, the Turkish football club Fenerbahce announced they have initiated legal proceedings against their rivals, Galatasaray, over allegations of an “attack on the personal rights” of their head coach, Jose Mourinho. This action follows Galatasaray’s claims that Mourinho made racist remarks following the recent Istanbul derby. According to reports, Mourinho allegedly referred to the Galatasaray bench as “jumping around like monkeys,” a comment which Galatasaray strongly condemned as “unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.”
In response, Fenerbahce has dismissed these allegations, stating that Mourinho’s comments were “deliberately taken entirely out of context and distorted in a misleading manner.” The club announced further legal steps, seeking around $52,000 in damages for the alleged defamation against Mourinho’s character. “We would like to announce to the public that a lawsuit for moral damages of 1 million 907 thousand Turkish liras has been filed against Galatasaray Sports Club by Fenerbahçe Sports Club lawyers due to the attack on the personal rights of our Technical Director Jose Mourinho,” stated the club. It appears this amount reflects their founding year, 1907, a symbolic figure visible on their crest.
Earlier this week, Galatasaray accused Mourinho of repeatedly making derogatory remarks aimed at the Turkish community and stated their intention to pursue criminal actions over the alleged “racist statements” by the renowned Portuguese manager. In a related development, the Turkish Football Federation imposed a four-match ban on Mourinho and fined him 1.6 million Turkish lira ($44,000) due to disparaging remarks he made regarding the Turkish referees following the match against Galatasaray.
Despite the controversy, Mourinho commended the decision to appoint a foreign referee, Slovenian Slavko Vincic, for the game, lauding his “top performance.” Post-match, Mourinho reportedly approached the referees to express his gratitude; however, upon encountering a Turkish fourth official, he allegedly remarked, “If you are the referee … would be a disaster.”
Jose Mourinho, who transitioned to Turkish football from his tenure at Roma last year, has had a storied career with prominent clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan. His tenure in Turkey has not been devoid of challenges, having faced fines and suspensions earlier in the season for his outspoken criticism of local match officials and the league’s administration.
