Jose Mourinho indulges in a legal battle worth £42,000 against Galatasaray

Jose Mourinho is pursuing a legal claim against Galatasaray for approximately £42,000 in moral damages, as confirmed by Fenerbahce. This development follows Galatasaray's allegations that Mourinho made racially insensitive comments after their recent goalless draw on Monday, prompting the club to consider initiating criminal proceedings.

In his post-match comments, Mourinho asserted that the Galatasaray bench was jumping around like monkeys. He asserted that the match benefited from being officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic instead of Turkish officials, as both clubs had insisted on a foreign appointment. 

Mourinho's symbolic demand raises controversy 

The 62-year-old received a four-match ban and a hefty fine of £32,655. Fenerbahce has promptly confirmed that they are appealing the ban. Mourinho is demanding 1,907,000 Turkish Lira, a symbolic amount that directly references 1907, the year Fenerbahce was founded, which is approximately £41,500.

He has already served one of his suspended four-game ban on Thursday night, missing the bench during the 4-1 victory in the Turkish Cup against Gaziantep. If Fenerbahce's appeal fails, he will undoubtedly be sidelined for their next three domestic matches.

In light of the allegations of racism, former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba firmly stood by his old boss and father figure, Mourinho, along with several other players who rallied to his defence.

Fenerbahce responded on Tuesday by clarifying that Mourinho's remarks following the match were misrepresented and taken out of context, emphasizing that they should not be linked to any form of racism.

On Thursday, the Turkish Football Federation announced the outcomes of its Professional Football Disciplinary Board's review, which resulted in sanctions for the Fenerbahce manager related to two distinct disciplinary issues arising from the draw against Galatasaray.

"It was determined that the statements used towards the members of the opposing team, were not mandatory, were contrary to the ethics of sports and the concept of fair play, contained expressions that could encourage violence and disorder in sports, were divisive and separatist in society and could cause fan incidents, and therefore, it was deemed an act against sportsmanship," TFF said in its statement.