Jose Mourinho has finally spoken out after being accused of racism by Galatasaray. He has denied the accusations, saying racism is not one of his weaknesses.
In an interview with Sky Sports News, Mourinho said he remained calm because he knows his character.
“People know who I am. I have bad qualities, but racism is not one of them,” he said.
Last week Galatasaray pressed charges over the comments made by Mourinho during the Istanbul Derby which ended in a 0-0 draw. The 62-year-old said “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.”
Mourinho also criticised Turkish referees because of several controversial decisions in the league this season.
Both Clubs (Galatasaray and Fenerbahce) requested the Turkish Football Federation to appoint a neutral foreign referee for the derby to ensure a fair and peaceful match which was granted by the Federation and welcomed by both managers.
Mourinho faced a lot of backlash and was banned for four games and fined a total of £35,194 by the Turkish Football Federation for two separate disciplinary matters.
The TFF said it was penalising him for “his derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referee” and because he “accused Turkish football of chaos and disorder with insulting and offensive statements towards both the Turkish football community and all Turkish referees”.
Mourinho has since filed a 1,907,000 Turkish Lira lawsuit, through the club’s lawyers, against Galatasaray due to the attack on the personal rights of the coach.
