28 February 2025 , 21:49
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José Mourinho is suing Galatasaray, claiming damages after the club accused him of making “racist statements”.
Fenerbahce announced on Friday that Mourinho has launched the action through the club’s lawyers as the angry recriminations continue from Monday’s 0-0 Turkish Super Lig draw between the two rival clubs.
The Fenerbahce manager is seeking 1,907,000 Turkish lira, a symbolic amount which references 1907 as the year Fenerbahce were founded, worth about £41,500.
Galatasaray had said that Mourinho’s post-match comments – in which he said the club’s bench were “jumping like monkeys” and that the Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic did a better job than Turkish officials could have done in officiating the game – amounted to racist statements. Mourinho has received a four-match ban and a fine equivalent to £35,000 for his comments, although the club have said he has appealed.
The former Chelsea and Galatasaray striker Didier Drogba was among the players to come to the defence of Mourinho after Galatasaray’s complaint, calling the Portuguese his “dad”. Fenerbahce issued their own statement on Tuesday, saying Mourinho’s comments were “taken completely out of context and deliberately distorted” and could “in no way be associated with racism”.
Mourinho moved to Turkey from Roma last year. He was fined and suspended earlier in the season for a tirade against local officials and the league.