Galatasaray accuse Mourinho of racism, will 'initiate criminal proceedings'

Jose Mourinho could face a criminal complaint after Galatasaray vowed to initiate proceedings against Fenerbahce's head coach for "racist statements."

Mourinho, during a post-match press conference that followed Monday's goalless draw between the Istanbul rivals, accused the Galatasaray bench of "jumping like monkeys" to appeal for a decision. He also expressed more disdain for Turkish officiating.

Galatasaray's statement, which was accompanied by a #SayNoToRacism tag, read:

Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce 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 Fenerbahce — an institution professing to uphold "exemplary moral values" — in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.

"After the big dive in the first minute, their bench, jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid," Mourinho said when highlighting an early incident involving Fenerbahce's 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek, "with a Turkish referee we'd have a yellow card after one minute."

Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, who Mourinho said he thanked for coming to Turkey at the end of the game, was appointed for the fixture after a request by both clubs, according to ESPN's Adriana Garcia. Mourinho said after thanking Vincic that he told the Turkish fourth official that the "match would be a disaster" if it had been overseen by him.

"And when I say him, I mean the general tendency," Mourinho added.

Mourinho declared the Turkish Super Lig should use foreign referees for every match.

The world-renown manager, who's won major honors with numerous clubs including Chelsea and Real Madrid, was punished in November for his conduct after a dramatic win over Trabzonspor, which included strong criticism of the officiating standards in the country.