Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien have jumped to Jose Mourinho‘s defence after the Fenerbahce boss was accused of racism following a Turkish league game against fierce rivals Galatasaray.
After the match on Saturday, which ended goalless, Mourinho described players from their rivals’ bench as “jumping like monkeys”.
In a statement after the game, Galatasaray accused “The Special One” of making derogatory comments against Turkish people.
“Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people,” the club said in a statement, adding they would be initiating criminal proceedings and submitting an official complaint to UEFA and FIFA.
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Writing on social media, Drogba, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea, and also featured for Galatasaray, disputed claims that the Portuguese was a racist.
“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. How can my ‘Dad’ be a racist? Come on guys.”
Referring to his time with the Turkish giants, Drogba said: “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.”
In defending Mourinho, Essien didn’t say much, but posted an image of himself alongside his former boss as well as Drogba on his social media channels accompanied by three heart emojis.
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.
Ive seen the recent comments about Jose…
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) February 26, 2025
Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, Mikel used more colourful language to defend the three-time Premier League winning manager.
“For them to label our African dad (Mourinho) a racist, for me, that’s a f**king joke. That’s a f**king joke,” Mikel said.
“This is politics in football in Turkey. Jose Mourinho is somebody that loves everybody. A beautiful, beautiful human being you can ever meet. The straightest, the most straightforward human being you can ever meet in your life. Says it as it is.
“Didier Drogba, Michael Essien. Loved us as his own children. So for me, this comment, this situation, I don’t even want to get into it, because it’s baseless.”
Sport
