0
0
Fenerbahçe coach José Mourinho has taken legal action against Galatasaray after a complaint of racism following comments made in a recent Super Lig match. Mourinho said after the 0-0 draw that the Galatasaray bench was “jumping like monkeys” when an early tackle took place and that he was relieved the match had been refereed by a Slovenian, rather than a Turkish, official.
Galatasaray responded by charging Mourinho with making “racist comments” and announcing that they would seek criminal action, including making official complaints to UEFA and FIFA. Galatasaray charged that Mourinho had “constantly made offensive remarks about the Turkish people” since the start of his rule over Turkey.
Fenerbahçe stood by Mourinho, saying his remarks were “totally taken out of context” and “willfully distorted.” They called the racism allegations a “malicious strategy” to distort the situation.
Escalating the feud, Mourinho, supported by Fenerbahçe, sued Galatasaray for 1,907,000 Turkish Lira (approximately £41,000) damages. The amount is symbolic, derived from the year Fenerbahçe was founded, 1907.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) gave Mourinho a four-match ban and 1.6 million Turkish Lira fine (£35,000) for his post-game comments, which were “offensive and derogatory.” Part of Mourinho’s ban has already been served after he missed Fenerbahçe’s recent victory in the Turkish Cup.
Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray has been intensifying since the controversy, and the two sides are currently sharing the top position in the Super Lig.
Top mentality