Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has stepped up to defend his former manager Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese coach was accused of making racist remarks during a heated Turkish derby.
The controversy erupted following Fenerbahce’s goalless draw against rivals Galatasaray on Monday.
During his post-match comments, Mourinho, frustrated by the officiating, suggested that a Turkish referee would have given a yellow card “after the big dive and their bench jumping around like monkeys.”
Galatasaray quickly condemned the remarks, calling them racist and announcing plans to take legal action against Mourinho.
The club also filed complaints with football’s governing bodies, demanding consequences for the Fenerbahce boss.
Fenerbahce, however, hit back, insisting Mourinho’s words were taken out of context and misinterpreted. The club called the accusations “baseless” and vowed to pursue legal action of their own.
Amid the storm, Drogba, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea in two separate spells, came to his former coach’s defense. Taking to social media platform X, the Ivorian striker dismissed the racism claims, saying he has known Mourinho for 25 years and could vouch for his character.
“Trust me when I tell you, Jose is not a racist. History—past and recent—proves it,” Drogba wrote. “Let’s focus on football, support our brilliant lions, and win the league.”
He even added a personal touch, saying: “How can my ‘Dad’ be a racist? Come on guys.”
With tensions still high, the Turkish Football Federation’s disciplinary board is expected to weigh in on the incident in the coming days.
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