Galatasaray have announced they intend to take legal action over "racist remarks" made by Fenerbahce coach Jose Mourinho towards the Turkish people.

The two giants drew 0:0 on Monday night after tensions had risen over the appointment of Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić by the Turkish Football Federation. Mourinho welcomed the decision to have Vinčić referee the derby after he officiated last year's Champions League final. After the match, Mourinho commented on the behaviour of Galatasaray's bench, saying they were "jumping around like monkeys" after an early scuffle. The Portuguese also praised Vinčić for his work on the pitch and said it would have been a "disaster" if the clash had been officiated by a Turkish referee.

"Since the beginning of his coaching duties in Turkey, Fenerbahçe coach José Mourinho has made offensive comments directed at the Turkish people on several occasions. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond purely immoral comments and has moved into inhuman rhetoric. As a result, we officially declare our intention to file a lawsuit in connection with José Mourinho's racist comments and will file official complaints with FIFA and UEFA. In addition, we will closely monitor the position of Fenerbahçe, an institution that embodies moral values, in response to the unacceptable behavior of their head coach", Galatasaray said in a statement.

What caused a reaction from Galatasaray were the following words from Mourinho in his press conference: "I went to the referee's dressing room after the match. The fourth official was there - a Turkish referee. I told him that if he had been the referee, it would have been a disaster. If Galatasaray are so good. If they want to be an example that 'we are good, we are strong, we are the champions, we want to show how good we are', they should want foreign referees in every match. But when the referees are foreigners, the UEFA Cup - they go home, against us at home - one shot on target. But if they are good and really believe in themselves and their strength, they should ask the Federation. We thank the referee because after the big dive in the first minute and the people from their bench who jumped like monkeys on the kid - with a Turkish referee he would have received a yellow card and after five minutes I had to replace him. Fortunately, it was a great experience for him".

Vinčić showed seven yellow cards and had to temporarily stop the game due to flares thrown into the stands.

The goalless draw kept Galatasaray's six-point lead over Fenerbahçe in the title race. | BGNES