Jose Mourinho sues Galatasaray over racism allegations
Head Coach of Fenerbahce Jose Mourinho speaks during the press conference after the Turkish Super Lig football match against Sipay Bodrum FK in Istanbul, Türkiye on October 27, 2024. (AA Photo)
After lackluster Galatasaray-Fenerbahce derby on Monday February 24, Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho’s remarks about the Galatasaray bench, saying they “jumped like monkey,” had sparked accusations of racism.
Mourinho alleged that Galatasaray attempted to pressure the referee into showing a card to Fenerbahce’s young defender Yusuf Akcicek early in the match. He commented, “I have to thank the referee because, in that situation, everyone on the other bench was jumping like monkeys.”
Galatasaray remain persistent in claiming that Mourinho’s statement was racist despite main figures in Galatasaray’s bench are not “black.”
In response, Fenerbahce Sports Club released a statement announcing that their legal team has filed a lawsuit against Galatasaray Sports Club on behalf of head coach Jose Mourinho, seeking ₺1,907 ($52,231) in moral damages due to alleged attacks on Mourinho’s personal rights.
However, even former Galatasaray baller Didier Drogba reacted to his former team’s racism accusation for Fenerbahce’s head coach Jose Mourinho following the latter’s remarks.
Former Galatasaray star Drogba wrote on personal X account, ”I’ve seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho. Trust me when I tell you I have known Jose for xx years and he is not a racist and history (past and recent ) is there to prove it. Let’s focus on our games, support our brilliant lions and let’s win the league to get close to our 5. How can my ‘Dad’ be a racist.”
Fenerbahce’s support
Fenerbahce had issued an official statement right after Galatasaray’s accusations, defending Mourinho, asserting that his words were deliberately misconstrued.
“A post-match remark made by our Coach, Jose Mourinho, has been deliberately taken entirely out of context and distorted in a misleading manner.” the club said in a statement. “As any reasonable person can clearly recognize, the expression used by Jose Mourinho was solely intended to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee’s decisions during the match. These remarks cannot, under any circumstances, be associated with racism.”
