'Pathetic slander' - Fenerbahce release statement threatening legal action against Galatasaray for their 'completely malicious approach' after accusing Jose Mourinho of making racist comments

A fiery Istanbul derby was played out between arch-rivals Fenerbahce and Galatasaray on Monday. Ex-Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Mourinho was his lively self on the touchline, as he took issue with a number of decisions made and became “triggered” by a shushing gesture from Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen.

The self-anointed ‘Special One’ went on to make a typically outspoken comment after the game, accusing the Galatasaray coaching team of “jumping like monkeys” on the bench as they tried to impact decisions being made on the field.

Galatasaray took issue with that statement and said in one of their own: “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.”

Fenerbahce have been quick to bite back, saying in response to what they consider to have been an exaggerated reaction by their bitter rivals: “A statement made by our Technical Director Jose Mourinho after the match was completely taken out of context and an attempt was made to deliberately distort it. As every sensible person can see and understand, these statements used by Jose Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team's technical staff to the referee decisions during the match can in no way be associated with racism.

“Trying to portray this statement as racist is a completely malicious approach. We would like to inform the public that we will use our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that was made in order to take the competition off the field, change the agenda and manipulate it.”

Said episode appears set to rumble on for some time yet, with both teams now threatening legal action. Mourinho, meanwhile – who has aimed several jibes in the direction of Super Lig match officials this season – is readying his troops for a Turkish Cup clash with Gaziantep on Thursday.