Jose Mourinho Addresses Racism Allegations As Drogba Defends Him

Fenerbahce’s Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho, has said he is the opposite of racist following allegations made against him by his club’s Turkish rivals, Galatasaray.

Following last week’s 0-0 Super Lig draw between Galatasaray and another team, the 62-year-old was accused of racism by Galatasaray. The accusation stems from his comment that the home side’s bench was “jumping like monkeys.”

“They (Galatasaray) were not clever in the way they attacked me because they didn’t know my past,” former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United coach Mourinho told Sky Sports in an interview.

“They didn’t know my connections with Africa, with African people and African players and African charities.

“So instead of going against me, I think it boomeranged and went against them.”

Fenerbahce defended Mourinho, stating that his remarks were misinterpreted. They also announced a lawsuit against Galatasaray, seeking 1,907,000 Turkish lira ($52,366.37) in damages for what they describe as “the attack on the personal rights” of their Portuguese coach.

“Everyone knows who I am as a person. Everybody knows my bad qualities, but that is not one of my bad qualities. Exactly the opposite!” added Mourinho.

“The most important thing is I know who I am, and the attack accusing racism was a bad choice.”

Didier Drogba, a former Ivory Coast striker, and Michael Essien, a former Ghana midfielder, both of whom played for Mourinho at Chelsea, have publicly defended the Portuguese coach.

“I’ve seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho. 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,” Drogba, who also played for Galatasaray, said.

“How can my “Dad” be a racist? Come on guys.”

Mourinho also said the derby with Galatasaray would have been a “disaster” if a Turkish referee had been in charge rather than Slovenian Slavko Vincic, who was appointed at the request of both clubs.

The Turkish Football Federation banned Mourinho for four games and fined him 1,617,000 Turkish lira for what it said were “derogatory and offensive statements towards the Turkish referees” and accusations of chaos and disorder in Turkish football.

Following an appeal by Fenerbahce, the initial ban and fine were reduced to a two-match suspension and a fine of 558,500 Turkish lira.