Former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba has defended Jose Mourinho after Galatasaray accused the Fenerbahce head coach of making “racist statements” against Turkish people.
Galatasaray said they intended to launch criminal proceedings against Mourinho and would also submit complaints to governing bodies UEFA and FIFA over the “derogatory” remarks, which they say were made in the aftermath of Monday’s feisty 0-0 draw against Fenerbahce in Istanbul.
What was said?
In his post-match press conference, ex-Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mourinho said that the Galatasaray bench were “jumping around like monkeys” following an early tackle.
The 62-year-old also lauded the decision to bring in Slovenian Slavko Vincic to officiate the game and claimed it would have been a disaster if the match would have been refereed by a Turkish official.
Vincic, who refereed last season’s Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, was drafted in by the Turkish football federation after recent controversies involving Turkish referees.
A statement from Galatasaray read: “Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.
“We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho, and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.
“Furthermore, we shall diligently observe the stance adopted by Fenerbahce – an institution professing to uphold ‘exemplary moral values’ – in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.”
The statement was posted on the Galatasaray club website under the headline: “Say no to racism.”
Didier Drogba statement
Less than 48 hours since the controversy struck, Drogba, who worked with Mourinho during their time at Chelsea, has jumped the defence of his former manager and claimed he is not racist.
In a passionate statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Drogba said: “Dear @GalatasaraySK. You know how proud I was to wear the yellow and red jersey and my love for the most decorated club in Turkey!! We all know how passionate and heated rivalries can be, and I’ve been lucky enough to experience it.
“I’ve seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho. Trust me when I tell you I have known Jose for 25 years and he is not a racist and history (past and recent) is there to prove it. Let’s focus on our games, support our brilliant lions and let’s win the league to get close to our 5 [star emoji].
“How can my “Dad” be a racist [man tipping two hands emoji]. Come on guys [red and yellow love heart emoji, and three star emoji].”
