After a tense 0-0 draw in the Turkish Süper Lig on Monday, Galatasaray have criticized Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho for making racist remarks.
The Istanbul derby, a match legendary for the ferocity of the rivalry, ended scoreless and was a bit underwhelming on the pitch. However, the post match drama has intensified since last night.
The controversy centers on some remarks Mourinho made during his press conference following the match at RAMS Park. Referring to a first-half incident with Fenerbahçe’s 19-year-old center-back Yusuf Akcicek, Mourinho stated:
“I have to thank the referee because with a Turkish referee after the big dive in the first minute, their bench jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid, with a Turkish referee you would have a yellow card after one minute and after five minutes I would have to change him.”
Galatasaray took offense at the use of the term “jumping like monkeys,” which they perceived as a racist slur directed at their staff and, more broadly, the Turkish people.
Galatasaray fired back with a heatedly worded statement later on Monday night, saying that the language of Mourinho had crossed a line.
“Since the beginning of his tenure as manager in Türkiye, Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho has persisted in making insulting statements against the Turkish people. Now, his statements have escalated from mere immoral comments to sheer inhumane discourse.”
The match itself was officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, a decision both sides had agreed to in the wake of Mourinho’s repeated moans about Turkish referees. Post-game, Mourinho praised Vincic, suggesting that a Turkish referee would have caused the match to be a “disaster.” This background of controversy surrounding the referees has contributed to the broader story of Mourinho’s controversial stance against officiating in Turkey since he joined Fenerbahçe in 2024.
