Serious incidents in Turkish derby: Fenerbahce fans throw flares at Galatasaray fans

The Turkish football classic between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce is usually one of the most difficult to control. This Monday was no exception: the game, which ended 0-0, had to be interrupted for a few minutes due to incidents in the stands.

Galatasaray, which had Colombian Dávinson Sánchez as a starter throughout the match and his compatriot Carlos Cuesta on the bench, will remain at the top of the Turkish League table despite the draw at home against Fenerbahçe coached by Portuguese Jose Mourinho.

It was a poor game. Neither home team nor visitors managed to create clear goal-scoring opportunities in an Istanbul derby that was officiated by a foreign referee, Slovenian Slavko Vincic, something that had not happened for 55 years. This was due to accusations by Fenerbahce coach, Portuguese José Mourinho, that there had been favouritism towards his rival.

Vincic, who refereed last year's Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, ruled out a goal by Oguz Aydin for Fenerbahce in the 14th minute for a foul on Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

The Galatasaray goalkeeper lost the ball inside the area after colliding with Polish midfielder Sebastian Szymanski while trying to clear a loose ball.

It was not the only action that tested the Slovenian referee, who in the 33rd minute and after consulting with the VAR decided not to award a penalty for a fall by Galatasaray's Nigerian striker Victor Oshimen in the visitors' area.

These were the two most notable actions of a first half in which neither Galatasaray nor Fenerbahce managed to trouble the rival goal, a bleak outlook that improved somewhat in the second half, in which the visitors enjoyed a good chance to clinch victory with a header from Ghanaian Alexander Djiku in the 67th minute.

Muslera, in an action full of reflexes, prevented the visiting defender's header from ending in a goal, which allowed the

Galatasaray managed a 0-0 draw that keeps Okan Buruk's men at the top of the table with a six-point advantage over second-placed Fenerbahce.

However, despite the appointment of a foreign judge and the operation of 30,000 police officers to try to control the fans, the game had to be suspended for a few minutes due to incidents.

Fenerbahce fans in the second tier of Istanbul's Rams Park stadium decided to throw flares towards the first tier, where Galatasaray fans were. The match had to be suspended for several minutes due to this.

At the end of the match, the police had to deploy hundreds of officers to prevent clashes between the fans of the two teams.

As if there was not enough controversy, Galatasaray announced on social media that it will take legal action against Mourinho, accusing him of making statements that they consider racist.

"Since taking over as coach in Turkey, Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho has constantly made derogatory statements against the Turkish people. Today, his speech has gone from mere immoral comments to unequivocally inhuman rhetoric," Galatasaray said in a statement.

"We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings in relation to the racist statements made by José Mourinho and will lodge official complaints accordingly with UEFA and FIFA. Furthermore, we will diligently observe the stance taken by Fenerbahce, an institution that claims to uphold 'exemplary moral values', in response to the reprehensible conduct displayed by its coach," he added.