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Fenerbahce have confirmed Jose Mourinho is suing arch rivals Galatasaray. The Portuguese boss was accused of making 'racist statements' after the two sides played out a goalless draw on Monday. Mourinho came under fire after he claimed Galatasaray's bench were 'jumping like monkeys'. He also said the fixture between the two rivals was better off being refereed by Slovenian official Slavko Vincic instead of a Turkish referee. Vincic was appointed referee after both clubs requested a foreign official took charge of the fixture. However, the fourth official was Turkish. In response to Galatasaray's accusations, Fenerbahce released a statement claiming Mourinho's comments had been 'completely taken out of context and deliberately distorted'. The Turkish side have since confirmed Mourinho will take legal action against Galatasaray. A Fenerbahce statement read: "We would like to announce to the public that Jose Mourinho has filed a lawsuit for moral damages of 1, 907, 000 Turkish Liras (£41, 467) against Galatasaray Sports Club, through the lawyers of Fenerbahce Sports Club, due to the personal rights of our coach Jose Mourinho. " The financial figure mentioned is symbolic given 1907 is the year Fenerbahce was founded. Despite Mourinho and Fenerbahce protesting his innocence, he was hit with a four-game ban and a £35, 000 fine by the Turkish Football Federation. The federation claimed the charges stemmed from 'his derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee' and because Mourinho 'accused Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees. ' Amid the fall-out, two of Mourinho's former players leapt to his defence and declared he was not a racist. Didier Drogba, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea and spent two seasons with Galatasaray, wrote on X: "Dear Galatasaray. You know how proud I was to wear the yellow and red jersey and my love for the most decorated club in Turkey. "We all know how passionate and heated rivalries can be, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience it. I've seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho. "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. "Let’s focus on our games, support our brilliant lions and let’s win the league. "How can my 'Dad' be a racist? Come on guys. " Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien also posted on X in support of Mourinho. The Ghanaian shared a picture of him, Drogba and Mourinho alongside three love hearts. Mourinho was able to patrol the touchline in Fenerbahce's 4-1 win over Gazientep in the Turkish Cup on Thursday. But he will serve the first of his four-game suspension on Sunday when Fenerbahce take on Antalyaspor. Mourinho can return to the dugout away to Sivasspor on April 13. © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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