Fenerbahce are planning on appealing the four-match ban handed to manager Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho, 62, was given the punishment by Turkish authorities for comments aimed towards arch-rivals Galatasaray, where he suggested that their bench were “behaving like monkeys”.
Mourinho’s suspension applies only to domestic fixtures, meaning the “Special One” will be in the dugout when Fenerbahce face Rangers in the Europa League Round of 16 next Thursday.
The two-time Champions League winning boss has also been fined £35k.
But Fenerbahce insist that the alleged racist remarks had been taken “completely out of context”.
The two teams faced off in Istanbul on Monday, February 24 with the scoreline ending 0-0.
The Turkish Football Federation appointed Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic to officiate the derby clash, a decision Mourinho publicly supported while simultaneously criticising Galatasaray’s staff.
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“I must also thank the referee. He had enough honesty to manage this match well,” Mourinho said during his post match press conference.
“They tried to get a yellow card for our 18-year-old player from the first minute, but the referee managed the game well. Everyone on the opponent’s bench was jumping like monkeys. If it were a Turkish referee, they would have immediately given the card, and I would have had to take the player off in a minute.”
His comments sparked immediate backlash, with Galatasaray issuing a strongly worded statement on social media, accompanied by the hashtag #SayNoToRacism.
“Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people,” the club stated.
“Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.
“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.”
Now, the dispute has taken a legal turn, with Fenerbahce announcing their own lawsuit against Galatasaray in response to the statement.
The club confirmed that Mourinho, through their legal team, is seeking 1.9million Turkish Lira (£42k) in damages, claiming his personal rights had been violated.
“We would like to announce to the public that a lawsuit for non-pecuniary damages of 1 million 907 thousand Turkish Liras has been filed against Galatasaray Sports Club by Jose Mourinho through Fenerbahce Sports Club lawyers due to the attack on the personal rights of our Technical Director Jose Mourinho,” read Fenerbahce’s statement.
As tensions continue to rise, all eyes will be on how UEFA and FIFA respond to the escalating row between Turkey’s biggest football rivals.
