Didier Drogba jumped into the defense of his “father” Jose Mourinho and insisted that the Portuguese is not racist.
Fenerbahce’s boss, Mourinho, was accused of racism by Galatasaray during the fallout of Derby Clash on Monday which ended 0-0.
The gala was particularly exasperated by a remark from Mourinho in which he said that the opposite bench was “jumping like monkeys” in order to reserve defender Fener Yusuf Akcicek.
Dear @Galatasaraysk
You know how proud I was wearing the yellow and red jersey and my love for the most decorated club in Türkiye !!
We all know how passionate and heated rivalries can be, and I was lucky to experience it.
I saw the recent comments on Jose …
– Didier Drogba (@didiedrogba) February 26, 2025
Drogba strikes back
Drogba, who played for Galatasaray and worked under Mourinho in Chelsea, jumped to the defense of his former boss, writing on X: “Dear @Galatasaraysk
“You know how proud I was to wear the yellow and red jersey and my love for the most decorated club in Türkiye !! We all know how passionate and heated rivalries can be, and I was lucky to experience it.
“I saw recent comments on Jose Mourinho. Believe me when I tell you that I have known Jose for XX years and that he is not racist and the story (past and recent) is there to prove it. Let’s focus on our games, we support our brilliant lions and win the league.
“How can my” father “be racist? Go guys.
Furious gala accuses Mourinho of “inhuman rhetoric”
Galatasaray’s statement was published about three hours after the final whistle on Monday when tensions were still high.
He said: “Since the start of his management functions in Türkiye, the director of Fenerbahçe, Jose Mourinho, has constantly published derogatory statements led to the Turkish people.
“Today, his speech has increased beyond the simply immoral comments in an unequivocal inhuman rhetoric.
“We officially declare our intention to initiate criminal procedures concerning racist declarations made by Jose Mourinho, and therefore submit the official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.
“In addition, we will observe with diligence the position adopted by Fenerbahçe – an institution which prefers to respect” exemplary moral values ” – in response to the reprehensible conduct exposed by their manager.”
Fener stands next to their man
Fener responded on Tuesday morning, accusing their rivals of Istanbul of “pathetic slander”.
They wrote: “This declaration became necessary regarding a subject that was on the agenda after the match played between our team and Galatasaray.
“A statement made by our technical director José Mourinho after the match was completely withdrawn from his context and deliberately distorted, as every person in common sense can see and understand him.
“These expressions, used by José Mourinho to describe the extreme reaction of the technical staff of the opposing team to the decisions of the referee during the match, cannot in any case be associated with racism.
“Trying to portray this discourse as a racist is a completely malicious approach.
“We want to inform the public that we will exercise our legal rights concerning this pathetic slander which aims to withdraw the competition from the field, to change the agenda and to manipulate it.”
Ivory Coast International Drogba appreciated the best fate of his career in Chelsea, winning four Premier League titles, as well as the Crown of the 2012 Champions League.
