Feb 26 (V7N) — Turkish club Galatasaray has accused Jose Mourinho of making "racist statements" following Fenerbahce’s 0-0 Super Lig draw on Monday, announcing plans to initiate criminal proceedings against the Portuguese manager.

While Galatasaray did not specify which comments they found offensive, Mourinho remarked that the home side's bench was "jumping like monkeys" and claimed the match "would have been a disaster" if officiated by a Turkish referee.

The match was overseen by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic, after both clubs requested a foreign official.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Galatasaray accused Mourinho of making "derogatory statements directed at the Turkish people" since arriving in the country.

"Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric," the club said.

Galatasaray vowed to pursue criminal proceedings against Mourinho and lodge official complaints with UEFA and FIFA.

Mourinho, who has previously been fined and suspended for his remarks about Turkish match officials, doubled down on his criticism in a post-match press conference.

"I went to the referees' dressing room after the game. Of course, the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee," Mourinho said.

"I told (Vincic), 'Thank you for coming here because you were responsible for a big match.'

"And I turned to the fourth official and said, 'If you were the referee, this match would have been a disaster.'"

In response to Galatasaray’s accusations, Fenerbahce issued a statement on Tuesday defending Mourinho, arguing that his remarks were taken out of context and distorted.

"As every person with common sense can see and understand, these expressions, used by Jose Mourinho to describe the extreme reaction of the opposing team's technical staff to the referee's decisions, can in no way be associated with racism," the club said.

Mourinho's comments and Galatasaray's accusations have sparked controversy in Turkish football, with the league now bracing for potential disciplinary action from domestic and international governing bodies.

END/SD/RH/