Football: José Mourinho accused of "racist remarks" after the derby between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray

Speaking at a press conference after the 0-0 draw, the 62-year-old Portuguese coach said that "the Galatasaray bench jumped like monkeys" in response to a refereeing decision. Fenerbahce claimed that this statement from their coach "was completely taken out of context and deliberately distorted".

"As any person with common sense can see and understand, these words, used by José Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the technical staff of the opposing team (...), can in no way be considered racist," the Istanbul club added in a statement. José Mourinho, whose team is six points behind leaders Galatasaray, had also "thanked the Slovenian referee" of the match, Slavko Vincic, who, according to him, was more impartial than the Turkish referees.

The Turkish federation had appointed a foreign referee - a first in more than half a century - to officiate during the heated derby, with Fenerbahçe accusing Turkish referees of favouring Galatasaray. " Since he took office in Turkey, José Mourinho (...) has continued to make derogatory statements about the Turkish people," the rival club said, saying that "his discourse has gone from simple immoral comments to inhumane rhetoric."

Winner of the Champions League with Porto (2004) and Inter Milan (2010), José Mourinho is playing his first season in the Turkish championship, after having managed teams in Portugal (Benfica, Porto), Italy (Inter Milan, AS Roma), England (Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham) and Spain (Real Madrid).