MENA Sports Wrap: Jose Mourinho accused of ‘racism’ by Galatasaray club following Istanbul derby [TNA/Getty]
Drama ensued in Turkish football on Monday, after Galatasaray accused Fenerbahce’s coach, Jose Mourinho, of making “racist” statements toward the Turkish people following a 0-0 draw between the fierce Istanbul adversaries.
Meanwhile, the Syria men’s basketball has qualified for its third consecutive FIBA Asia Cup after beating Bahrain, while a Palestinian football sensation scored his first goal for Aberdeen in the Scottish Premier League.
Mourinho accused of ‘racism’ after 0-0 draw between Galatasaray and Fenerbahce
Top Turkish club Galatasaray has accused Jose Mourinho, the coach of rival team Fenerbahce, of “making racist comments”, following a 0-0 draw between the two Istanbul teams on Monday.
Following the match, Mourinho said that the home side Galatasaray had been “jumping like monkeys” and that the match would have been a disaster had a Turkish referee been in charge of the fixture.
The Istanbul derby saw Slovakian Slavko Vincic referee the match, as requested by both teams.
Galatasaray and Fenerbahce clashes are known as ‘the Intercontinental Derby’ due to the two clubs being based in Istanbul’s European and Asian sides respectively.
In an official statement, Galatasaray said Mourinho has “persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people” since the start of his managerial career at Fenerbahce.
“Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric,” the club added on X.
“We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by José Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.”
In his post-match interview, the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager said: “I have to thank the referee. After the big dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on the top of the kid… with a Turkish referee, you would have a yellow card after one minute and after five minutes I would have to change him.”
He had previously made comments criticising Turkish referring in the Super Lig, resulting in being banned and fined earlier this season.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce responded on Tuesday with the following statement: “As every sensible person can see and understand, these statements used by Jose Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee decisions during the match can in no way be associated with racism,” the club said.
“Trying to portray this statement as racist is a completely malicious approach.”
Mourinho has also garnered the support of two of his former players, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien. Drogba, who once played for Galatasaray, insisted that the Portuguese coasch “is not racist” and that “history past and present is there to prove it”.
“How can my “Dad” be racist. Come on guys,” he added in a post on X on Wednesday.
Syria’s men make 2025 FIBA basketball tournament despite obstacles
The Syrian men’s basketball team narrowly beat Bahrain to clinch a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, for a third consecutive time.
The Syrians beat Bahrain 89-87 in a thrilling game on Monday at Qatar’s Al-Gharafa Sports Club Multi-Purpose Hall.
The Qasioun Eagles secured their victory in defiance of a number of obstacles in their way, including the suspension of the Syrian Basketball League competition since last June, as well as relying on an internal camp in Damascus and an external one in Qatar.
The Syrian team had an even wider lead throughout the game, which was narrowed down following a series of misses. However, the Syrian team found a lucky break when Bahrain’s Mosti Rashed’s decision to go after the winning shot backfired as his three-pointer missed before time expired.
Monday’s victory for the Syrian team saw them finish second in their qualifying group after Lebanon led an impressive 91-88 victory against the UAE.
Monday’s victory saw the Syrians become the 12th team to secure a trip to the tournament set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in August. It also marks their third straight Asia Cup appearance.
Myron Gordon finished the qualification rounds as Syria’s top scorer with 27 points.
Palestinian footballer Dabbagh nets first goal for Aberdeen
Palestinian footballer Oday Dabbagh scored his first goal for Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen FC, after hitting the back of the net in stoppage time for the club on Saturday against Kilmarnock.
The goal proved extra vital as the game was headed towards a draw, before Dabbagh hit the goal after reacting first to redirect the ball into the back of the net, following a flick-on from an Aberdeen corner during stoppage time. It gave Aberdeen their third consecutive victory, although the club was then thrashed 5-1 by Celtic on Tuesday.
Dabbagh came on as a substitute in the 66th minute, and his appearance on Saturday was his first for Aberdeen at their home ground, Pittodrie Stadium.
The home side, despite being the better team throughout the game, had struggled to break through Kilmarnock’s defence until Dabbagh’s goal.
The result came at a cost in terms of personnel for the home side, though, with full-backs Jack MacKenzie and Nicky Devlin forced off through injury.
Dabbagh joined the Aberdeen side on loan from Belgian team Charleroi earlier this month during the winter transfer window and has so far made three appearances for the team with one goal.
In a post-match interview, Dabbagh said it was a “crazy feeling” to score his first goal in Scotland in such a dramatic fashion.
“I’m so happy to get such an important three points, for scoring my first goal, and for the performance of the team,” said the Palestinian. Thanking the fans, Dabbagh added that he was “looking to score more and more goals”.
