Although Galatasaray and Fenerbahce’s Turkish league derby finished in a goalless draw, the controversy quickly followed. The main topic of conversation was the comments made by Jose Mourinho, the coach of Fenerbahce, which infuriated Galatasaray.
“Jumped like monkeys” was how Mourinho described the early-game protests from Galatasaray’s bench during the post-match press conference. The opposing team quickly denounced these remarks as racist and declared that it will be complaining to UEFA and FIFA against the Portuguese manager.”
In a swift defense, Fenerbahce claimed that their coach’s remarks were “completely taken out of context and deliberately distorted.” The team stressed that Mourinho’s statement had no racist overtones and was intended to highlight Galatasaray’s technical staff’s overreaction to the referee’s calls. Fenerbahce also declared that they would take legal action against “this pathetic slander.”
What will happen to Mourinho? The ‘Special One’ may be subject to a protracted suspension after Galatasaray complained to FIFA and UEFA. Article 14 of UEFA’s Disciplinary Regulations states that calling someone a “monkey” during a sporting event is racist and carries a minimum penalty of 10 suspension matches, according to Fanatik.
