Jose Mourinho has again denied that his comments in the aftermath of Fenerbahce’s derby clash with Galatasaray were racially motivated, saying his words would have been understood if they knew of his African connections.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) handed Mourinho a four-game ban and a small fine after he referred to the Galatasaray bench “jumping around like monkeys.” The ban was later halved and the fine reduced.
Galatasary saif they would “initiate criminal proceedings” for what they described as “racist statements.” In response, Mourinho and Fenerbahce have began their own legal action, seeking to recoup 1.907 million Turkish lira ($52,000) — a symbolic figure to represent the year that Fenerbahce were founded (1907).
In an interview with Sky Sports published on Thursday, Mourinho addressed the incident, saying he felt attacked.
“They were not clever in the way they attacked me, because they didn’t know my past,” Mourinho said. “They didn’t know my connections with Africa, with African people and African players and African charities.
“So instead of going against me, I think it boomeranged and went against them.
“Everyone knows who I am as a person. Everybody knows my bad qualities, but that is not one of my bad qualities. Exactly the opposite.
“The most important thing is I know who I am, and the attack accusing racism was a bad choice.”
Fenerbahce host Rangers on Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie.
