Jose Mourinho Finally Speaks After Galatasaray Accused Him Of Racism
- Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray played a goalless draw in the derby, but the match turned chaotic afterwards
- Jose Mourinho was accused of racism by Galatasaray after saying their bench was jumping like monkeys
- The former Chelsea manager has spoken for the first time about the incident amid the public support he received
Jose Mourinho has spoken for the first time since Galatasaray accused him of racism after the Istanbul derby against Fenerbahce, which ended in a goalless draw.
Galatasaray and Fenerbahce faced off for the second time this season after the champions won the first leg 3-1 at Kadikoy, with the second leg ending 0-0.
The match was uneventful on the pitch, but the events that unfolded after the match have set Turkish football in further chaos for more than two weeks now.
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The Turkish champions accused Mourinho of racism after the Portuguese manager said the Galatasaray bench was jumping like monkeys throughout the match.
Football fans, even those of rivals of the club the manager previously managed, rejected the claims, highlighting Mourinho's relationship with African players.
Mourinho speaks about racism allegations
Mourinho has remained mute over the allegations until today, when he granted an interview to Sky Sports, speaking about the incident for the first time.
“They were not clever in the way they attacked me because they didn't know my past. They didn't know my connections with Africa, with African people and African players and African charities,” he said.
"So, instead of going against me, I think it boomeranged and went against them. 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!
"The most important thing is I know who I am, and the attack accusing racism was a bad choice.”
The majority of the fans who defended the Special One cited his connections with African players, including Didier Drogba, Mikel Obi and others.
They acknowledged that even though the manager speaks out of turn many times, he is not racist, an assertion Mourinho alludes to by claiming he should not have dropped to Okan Buruk’s level.
"I cannot drop to his level. Sometimes I do, and I ask myself, 'Why did you do it, Jose? Why did you drop to that level?' It was just sad,” he said.
Mourinho was initially banned for four games, but it was later reduced to two. The manager thanked his former players, fans and social media for helping to amplify his case, admitting that it played a part in it.
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According to an official statement, Fenerbahce sued Galatasaray for 1.907 million Turkish Lira, a symbolic amount for the year the club was founded, as damages for their accusations towards Mourinho.
5 Mourinho's controversial moments
Legit.ng previously analysed five controversial moments of Mourinho's career after Galatasaray accused him of making racist comments after the 0-0 draw in the Istanbul derby.
The Portuguese tactician is no stranger to controversies during his career and has been involved in high-profile incidents during his time in England and Spain.
Proofreading by James, Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
