Didier Drogba has come to the defence of his old boss and “dad,” Jose Mourinho after the Ivorian’s former club Galatasaray accused the Portuguese of making racist statements.

Galatasaray made the allegations following Monday’s 0-0 draw with Mourinho’s Fenerbahce, after which Mourinho said that members of Galatasaray bench were “jumping like monkeys” following an early challenge, and also said the match was better for being refereed by Slovenian Slavko Vincic rather than Turkish officials.

In a statement, Galatasaray outlined their intention to “initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho,” and said he had made “derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people.”

But Drogba, who played for Galatasaray in 2013-14 between two different spells at Chelsea, both of them working under Mourinho, used a social media post on X on Wednesday to defend the 62-year-old, indicating Mourinho has been a father figure for him during his career.

“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!!’ Drogba wrote.

“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 25 years and he is not a racist and history (past and recent) is there to prove it.

https://guardian.ng/sport/drogba-slams-former-club-for-accusing-mourinho-of-racism/