At a post-game press conference, Mourinho – a former Portuguese player – said the home team's bench was "jumping like monkeys" and that it would have been a "disaster" if a Turkish referee had officiated the game.

The match was refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic after both clubs requested a foreign official take charge.

Galatasaray said in a statement after Mourinho's press conference: "Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkiye, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his rhetoric has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.”

It said it would initiate criminal proceedings over his “racist statements” and submit official complaints to both UEFA and FIFA, the European and international football authorities, respectively.

Fenerbahce’s take

In a counterstatement, Fenerbahce said that the remarks made by Mourinho “regarding the exaggerated response of the opposing team's technical staff to the referee's decisions during the match, should not be linked to racism."

The Super Lig side stated in a post on X that it was evident Mourinho “was solely intended to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee’s decisions during the match. These remarks cannot, under any circumstances, be associated with racism."

The Yellow Canaries added that any attempt to portray this statement as a racist remark is “entirely malicious.”

Fenerbahce stated that they would inform the public of their intention to exercise their legal rights against this baseless accusation, "which aims to take competition off the pitch, shift the agenda, and manipulate public perception."

Mourinho took over coaching duties at Fenerbahce last June.

With 58 points, Fenerbahce are currently in second place, six points behind leaders Galatasaray.