Former Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba on Wednesday leapt in support of his old coach Jose Mourinho amid the ongoing racism claims against the Portuguese, Afrosport reports.
Mourinho was accused by Galatasaray of making racist remarks after Monday’s goalless draw at RAMS Park in a Turkish Super Lig clash, which had Slovenian official Slavko Vincic as referee.
The 62-year-old said the Galatasaray bench had been “jumping like monkeys” and also doubled down on his criticism of Turkish referees, adding that the game would have been a “disaster” if an official from the country was in charge.
When asked about an early challenge in the game involving 19-year-old defender Yusuf Akcicek, the Fenerbahce manager said: “I have to thank the referee. After the big dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on 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.
“I went to the referee’s dressing room after the game, of course the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee. I told him ‘thank you for coming here, you come for a big match’ and I turned myself to the fourth official and I said ‘if you were a referee, this match would be a disaster’.”
These comments, however, did not sit well with the opposition, as Galatasaray said they would “initiate criminal proceedings” against Mourinho, having claimed he made “racist statements.”
Fenerbahce responded by debunking any claims of racism, adding that the remarks were “deliberately taken entirely out of context and distorted in a misleading manner”. The club also said it was planning to pursue legal action “against this baseless accusation.”
Drogba, who donned the colours of Galatasaray during his playing career, played for Mourinho at Chelsea, where he had two spells under the Portuguese.
The 46-year-old took to social media on Wednesday to defend the Fenerbahce manager, saying he “is not a racist, and history is there to prove it.”
“I’ve seen the comments about Jose Mourinho,” Drogba wrote on X.
“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.”
He added: “How can my ‘Dad’ be a racist. Come on guys.”
The Turkish football federation’s disciplinary board has yet to make any recommendations, with an announcement imminent in the coming days.
