Galatasarary take legal action against Jose Mourinho alleging 'racist comments'

Galatasaray have announced that they intend to bring criminal proceedings over alleged 'racist statements' made by Jose Mourinho.

Fenerbahce boss Mourinho is accused of making derogatory remarks during Monday's Istanbul derby which saw Slovenian official Slavko Vincic drafted in especially for the match. Mourinho, 62, also said during his post-match press conference that Galatasary's bench were 'jumping like monkeys' in the first half following a challenge from Fenerbahce defender Yusuf Akcicek.

The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager went on to praise Vincic's performance after the fiery 0-0 draw, during which the Champions League-level referee handed out seven yellow cards. Mourinho added that it'd have been a 'disaster' if the game had been refereed by a Turkish official.

The Portuguese has complained about the standard of refereeing in Turkey on multiple occasions since taking charge of Fenerbahce in June. Galatasaray, who maintained their six-point lead over rivals Fenerbahce at the top of the table, responded late on Monday evening and alleged that Mourinho made racist comments.

A statement from the home side read: "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."

Mirror Football has contacted Fenerbahce for a response.

Mourinho replied after he was asked about the officiating during his post-match press conference: "I went to the referee's dressing room after the game. The fourth official was there - a Turkish referee - I told him if you are the referee it would be a disaster.

"If they're [Galatasaray] really, really good. If they want to be an example of 'we are good, we are strong, we are the champions, we want to show how good we are', they should ask for foreign referees every match. But when the referees are foreign, UEFA Cup - go home, against us at home - one shot on target.

"But if they are good and they believe really in themselves and in their power, they should ask the federation. We thank the referee because after the big dive in the first minute and their bench is jumping like monkeys on top of the kid, with a Turkish referee, the kid would have a yellow card after one minute and after five minutes I would have to change.

"Thankfully, it was a perfect experience for him."

Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk, whose side haven't lost a league game this season, used his chat with reporters to hit back at Mourinho, saying: "He is famous for his crying, again he cried here for a long time, he cried inside, he entered ref room and cried, may he continue crying."

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