 "In 2023, Jose Mourinho was banned by UEFA from 4 games for verbally abusing referees. Image: Reuters")
Former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has found himself at the center of a racism controversy after Turkish club Galatasaray SK accused him of making “racist statements” following a heated 0-0 draw against their arch-rivals Fenerbahce SK in the Super Lig.
Mourinho, now the head coach of Fenerbahce, has not yet publicly responded to the allegations. However, Galatasaray has also not clarified which specific remarks they were referring to. The controversy arose after Mourinho’s post-match comments about 19-year-old Galatasaray defender Yusuf Akcicek, where he criticised the opposition bench’s reactions by using the word “monkey.”
“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,” Mourinho had said.
Drogba and Essien defend Mourinho
In response to the allegations, former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who played under Jose Mourinho during his time at Stamford Bridge, came to the Portuguese manager’s defense. Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Drogba dismissed the accusations and vouched for Mourinho’s character.
“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,” Drogba wrote.
“I’ve seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho. Trust me when I tell you I have known Jose for xx 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 stars. How can my “Dad” be a racist. Come on guys,” Drogba added.
Meanwhile, former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien also showed his support by sharing a picture with Mourinho accompanied by heart emojis, indicating his loyalty to his ex-boss.
Fenerbahce currently sit second in the Super Lig standings, trailing league leaders Galatasaray by six points. Fenerbahce have amassed 58 points from 24 matches, while Galatasaray lead with 64 points from the same number of games.