‘The Crying One’ Mourinho faces criminal complaint over alleged ‘racist’ remarks in fierce derby

Joe Williams 25 Feb 2025 9:36 AM

Jose Mourinho on the touchline during a match between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.

Former Man Utd and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been accused of ‘racist’ remarks by Galatasaray after their derby match against Fenerbahce.

The poor affair between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce saw the Intercontinental Derby match end 0-0 in a top-of-the-table clash.

Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, who were away from home, had the better of the match with ten shots to Galatasaray’s four as the home side preserved their eight-point lead at the top of the Turkish Super Lig.

Not for the first time in his career, Mourinho’s comments after the match overshadowed the fixture with the former Man Utd, Tottenham, Real Madrid and Chelsea man known for his outspoken nature.

In his post-match interview, Mourinho pointed the finger at the Galatasaray bench for “jumping like monkeys” after their appeals for a foul in the opening minutes saw referee Slavko Vincic wave away their protests.

Praising the Slovenian referee, Mourinho told reporters: “I have to thank the referee.

“Because with a Turkish referee, after the big dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid… if it was a Turkish ref he would have a yellow card after one minute.

“So thankfully it was a perfect experience for him.”

Mourinho’s comments outraged Galatasaray with the Turkish Super Lig leaders accusing the Fenerbahce boss of ‘racist’ remarks and revealed their intent ‘to initiate criminal proceedings’.

The statement read: ‘Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, 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.’

Galatasaray also took to their social media pages to post the ‘#SayNoToRacism’ slogan after Mourinho’s comments with their manager Okan Buruk also having a dig at ‘The Special One’.

The Galatasaray head coach commented that Mourinho was more like “The Crying One” nowadays after his repeated outbursts before and after matches.

Buruk joked: “The Crying One… he is famous for crying.

“He went into the referee’s room and cried! Let him keep crying!”

Manchester United Jose Mourinho