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By MICHAEL PAVITT Published: 03: 04 AEDT, 1 March 2025 | Updated: 03: 29 AEDT, 1 March 2025 1 View comments Fenerbahce have announced they have filed a lawsuit against their bitter rivals Galatasaray, after the club accused their manager Jose Mourinho of racism. The Fenerbahce head coach made comments to reporters after the incendiary derby between the two teams earlier this week about the Galatasaray bench 'jumping like monkeys'.   Mourinho commented that the match was better because it was not officiated by a Turkish referee.   Further to Galatasaray's accusations, which included making official complaints to UEFA and FIFA, Fenerbahce revealed exclusively to Mail Sport that they are set to launch legal action over the 'defamatory' statements.   Fenerbahce have now announced they will be seeking damages as the club accused Galatasaray of attacking Mourinho's 'personal rights'. 'We would like to announce to the public that a lawsuit for non-pecuniary damages of 1. 9million Turkish Liras (£41, 000) has been filed against Galatasaray Sports Club by Fenerbahce Sports Club lawyers due to the attack on the personal rights of our manager Jose Mourinho, ' a statement read. Fenerbahce announced a lawsuit against Galatasaray for attacking Jose Mourinho's 'rights' Mourinho was hit with a four-match ban following the Istanbul derby on Monday night Mourinho was handed a four-match ban and a fine of over £35, 000 for comments made towards the refereeing team on Thursday. The statement from the federation detailed how Mourinho had 'come to the match referee and used statements towards the referee of the match. 'Immediately afterwards, he directed his derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee, the 4th referee of the match, towards him and accused Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees, and his actions and statements that insulted the brand value of football activities in Turkey. ' These charges saw Mourinho handed a two-match ban from entering the dressing room and the touchline, as well as a fine of £2, 542 (117, 000 Turkish lira). Referring to the press conference comments, the statement read: 'In the same competition, (Mourinho's) statements made at the press conference after the match and which are the subject of the referral were referred to our Board within the scope of Article 41 of the FDT. 'Considering the nature of the statements, it was determined that the statements used towards the members of the opposing team, were not mandatory, were contrary to the ethics of sports and the concept of fair play, contained expressions that could encourage violence and disorder in sports, were divisive and separatist in society and could cause fan incidents, and it was deemed an act against sportsmanship. ' For the statement, Mourinho was handed another two-match ban, and a much more significant fine of £32, 602 (1, 500, 000 Turkish lira). Fans in the stands also saw both clubs punished for chanting and bad behaviour on Monday Police with riot shields were forced to take to the pitch at full-time after a number of incidents Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk was also handed a ban for his role in the derby fracas Fenerbahce board member Alper Alpoglu confirmed to Turkish outlet Hurriyet that the club is planning to appeal against Mourinho's ban. 'We definitely do not think that the word our manager used was an insult or an unsportsmanlike statement, ' he said. 'We know that the decision was already taken by a majority vote. We know that not every member of the Professional Disciplinary Board (PFDK) has the same opinion. We also know that there are members who voted against this.   'Here is a situation where not everyone has the same opinion, has different opinions, but as a result we are faced with a very heavy penalty. You have also noticed some unlawful situations.   'We will urgently apply to the Arbitration Board regarding this. We believe that our manager should not be subject to any punishment. We will make our application. I believe that the Arbitration Board will make the most correct decision regarding this. ' A raft of other sanctions were handed out following the match, including fines for members of Mourinho's coaching staff, and a one-match ban and fine for Galatasaray's manager Okan Buruk, who referred to Mourinho as 'the crying one' and blasted the referee at full-time. Galatasaray will play their next home match without a section of fans due to 'bad and ugly chanting', while Fenerbahce will be punished two matches without away support due to the severity of fan incidents on the pitch. With regard to Mourinho's comments, Galatasaray were also punished for their initial post on social media which called out the Portuguese manager's 'derogatory statements towards the Turkish people' and sought to bring criminal action against him for his 'racial discrimination'. Former Chelsea star Michael Essien was among those to throw their support behind Mourinho The Istanbul club were handed a mammoth £65, 000 (3, 000, 000 Turkish lira) fine, and club president Dursun Ozbek was penalised with a 34-day denial of rights. In the wake of the roiling controversy, Mourinho received the staunch defence of his club's vice president, Acun Illicali, who told Mail Sport that the side were 'more than 110 per cent sure his aim was not to be racist'. 'The history of his life he has always had very good relations with people all over the world, of different nationalities, ' Illicali continued. ‘It is so clearly understandable. It’s an insult to the intelligence of some people. ‘They tried to manipulate Jose’s description and at the end of the day we have seen a fake and theatrical approach from Galatasaray’s side. ‘When he said they are jumping like monkeys, he was describing the movement which is clearly understandable because the footage is now public. ‘He was just describing, like saying "you are running like a rabbit”, or “you are bad like a snake". We use animals when describing with some exaggeration in life and it is as simple as that. ’ Mourinho's former players, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, were also keen to defend their old manager. 'I've seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho, ' Drogba said. 'Trust me when I tell you I have known Jose for 25 years and he is not a racist and history (past and recent) is there to prove it. ' Essien shared a picture of himself and Drogba with the storied manager during their days at Stamford Bridge, captioned with three heart emojis.

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