Didier Drogba has leapt to the defence of his “dad” Jose Mourinho and insisted the Portuguese is not racist.
Fenerbahce boss Mourinho was accused of racism by Galatasaray in the fall-out from Monday’s derby clash which ended 0-0.
Gala were particularly incensed by a remark from Mourinho in which he said the opposite bench was “jumping like monkeys” in an attempt to get Fener defender Yusuf Akcicek booked.
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
Drogba hits back
Drogba, who played for Galatasaray and worked under Mourinho at Chelsea, jumped to his former boss’ defence, 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 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 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.
“How can my “Dad” be a racist? Come on guys.”
Furious Gala accuse Mourinho of “inhumane rhetoric”
Galatasaray’s statement was released about three hours after the final whistle on Monday when tensions were still high.
It read: “Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahçe 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 Fenerbahçe—an institution professing to uphold “exemplary moral values”—in response to the reprehensible conduct exhibited by their manager.”
Fener stand by their man
Fener responded on Tuesday morning, accusing their Istanbul rivals of “pathetic slander”.
They wrote: “This statement has become necessary regarding a topic that has been 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 taken completely out of context and deliberately distorted, as every common sense person can see and understand.
“These expressions, used by José Mourinho to describe the extreme reaction of the opposing team’s technical staff to the referee’s decisions during the match, can in no way be associated with racism.
“Trying to portray this discourse as racist is a completely malevolent approach.
“We would like to inform the public that we will exercise our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that aims to take the competition out of the field, change the agenda and manipulate it.”
Ivory Coast international Drogba enjoyed the best spell of his career at Chelsea, winning four Premier League titles, as well as the 2012 Champions League crown.