José Mourinho banned for ‘racist’ remarks following Fenerbahçe’s derby draw with Galatasaray
Fenerbahçe manager José Mourinho has been handed a two-match ban for racist comments following his team’s 0-0 draw with Galatasaray in the Istanbul Derby on Sunday, February 25, 2025.
After the match, Mourinho came under fire for referring to the Galatasaray bench, saying they were “jumping like monkeys” in reaction to an early challenge. The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss also criticized the referee selection, suggesting the match would have been a “disaster” had a Turkish official been in charge, instead of Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić.
Galatasaray responded with a strongly worded statement accusing Mourinho of making racist remarks and threatening legal action. In return, Fenerbahçe issued a statement defending their coach, claiming his comments had been “completely taken out of context” and were deliberately distorted.
However, the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) has decided to impose a two-match ban on Mourinho for the racist remarks, along with an additional two-match suspension for offensive comments directed at the fourth official during the game, according to Sky Sports.
