I’m ‘The Complete Antithesis of Racism,’ Declares Mourinho as Drogba Stands Up for Him

Fenerbahce’s Portuguese manager, Jose Mourinho, has responded to allegations from rival club Galatasaray, asserting that he embodies the opposite of racism.

The 62-year-old faced accusations from Galatasaray claiming he made racist remarks following the scoreless Super Lig draw between the two teams last week, during which he remarked that the home team’s bench was “jumping like monkeys.”

“Galatasaray was unwise in their approach to me, as they were unaware of my background,” Mourinho, who has previously managed clubs including Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Manchester United, told Sky Sports in an interview.

“They didn’t understand my ties to Africa, nor my relationships with African people, players, and charities.”

“So rather than mounting an effective counterattack against me, I believe it backfired on them.”

Fenerbahce claimed that Mourinho’s comments were taken out of context and announced that he is seeking 1,907,000 Turkish lira ($52,366.37) in damages due to “an infringement on the personal rights” of their Portuguese coach.

“Everyone is aware of my character. Everyone knows my flaws, but racism is not one of them. Quite the opposite!” Mourinho added.

“The key point is I know who I am, and the claim of racism was an erroneous move.”

Former Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba and ex-Ghana midfielder Michael Essien, both of whom played under Mourinho at Chelsea, have publicly defended him.

“I’ve seen the recent comments about Jose Mourinho. Trust me on this: I’ve known Jose for 25 years, and he is not a racist. His history, both past and present, confirms that,” said Drogba, who has also played for Galatasaray.

“How can my ‘Dad’ be a racist? Come on, everyone.”

Mourinho further commented that the derby against Galatasaray would have turned into a “disaster” had a Turkish referee been officiating, instead of Slovenian Slavko Vincic, who was assigned to the match at the request of both clubs.

The Turkish Football Federation handed Mourinho a four-match ban and a fine of 1,617,000 Turkish lira for what they deemed “derogatory and offensive remarks towards Turkish referees,” as well as accusations of chaos and disarray in Turkish football.

However, following an appeal by Fenerbahce, the ban was reduced to two matches and the fine to 558,500 Turkish lira.