OFFICIAL: Galatasaray will file criminal complaint to Mourinho's ‘racist wrods’

GALATASARAY have vowed to file a criminal complaint against Jose Mourinho amid claims he made "racist statements" after Monday's Istanbul derby.

Club Statement from Galatasaray SK

Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Türkiye, Fenerbahçe 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 Fenerbahçe—an institution professing to uphold “exemplary moral values”—in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.

Former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham boss Mourinho claimed after the stalemate that Galatasaray had tried to get one of his team booked early on.

He told a press conference that "everyone on the opposing bench was jumping around like monkeys".

Galatasaray immediately hit back and accused the Portuguese manager, 62, of "regularly using derogatory words towards the Turkish people" since moving to Istanbul.

In a damning statement, accompanied by a #SayNoToRacism tag, the reigning Turkish champions added: "[He] has now added inhumane rhetoric to his immoral statements.

"We would like to inform you that we will file a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office and that we will also file a complaint with UEFA and FIFA regarding these racist statements against Jose Mourinho.

"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."

In his post-match press conference, Mourinho claimed Galatasary players had played for a draw and tried to get one of his players a yellow card.

Praising Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, who was reportedly drafted in from abroad following a string of controversies surrounding Turkish officials, Mourinho said: "The reason this was a good match was because of the referee's performance.

"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."

However, it was his comments that followed which are believed to have caused uproar.

Mourinho continued: "In the situation I mentioned, everyone on the opposing bench was jumping around 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.

"It was a great match for him."

Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen later shared his club's statement to his Instagram story.

Mourinho had previously criticised Osimhen for his on-pitch antics, labelling him a fantastic player, but claiming he "dives too much".

Mourinho is yet to respond to the allegations made against him.  The former Man Utd boss has previously spoken out on how football is plagued by racist incidents.

The feisty derby saw seven yellow cards dished out, and the match was also stopped momentarily when Fenerbahce fans launched flares into the home fans beneath them.

Some 30,000 police officers were believed to be on duty for Monday night's match.

Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk took aim at Mourinho following the game after the "Special One" went into the referee's dressing room to talk to him.

Buruk said: "Mourinho took a long time to cry. The Crying One… He’s famous for crying. He went into the referee’s room and cried. Let him keep crying."

Former Porto, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss Mourinho took over at Fenerbahce last year.

Monday's result leaves them in second place, six points behind Galatasaray with 12 Super Lig games remaining.