Africans defend Jose Mourinho amid racism accusations by Turkish club Galatasaray

Jose Mourinho incurred the wrath of Galatasaray and their fans after using the word ‘monkey’ in his description of their conduct on the touchline in their game against his club Fenerbahce on Monday, February 24, 2025.

“I have to thank the referee. After the big dive in the first minute and their bench jumping like monkeys on top of the kid… with a Turkish referee, you would have a yellow card after one minute and after five minutes, I would have to change him.”

He added: “I went to the referee’s dressing room after the game, of course, the fourth official was there, a Turkish referee. I told him ‘thank you for coming here, you came for a big match’ and I turned myself to the fourth official and I said ‘If you were a referee, this match would be a disaster’.”

Galatasaray, in response, said they would not only initiate legal action against Jose Mourinho, but they would also file “official complaints” to football’s governing bodies.

In a statement, Galatasaray said: “Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkey, Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has persistently issued derogatory statements directed towards the Turkish people. Today, his discourse has escalated beyond merely immoral comments into unequivocally inhumane rhetoric.

“We hereby formally declare our intention to initiate criminal proceedings concerning the racist statements made by Jose Mourinho and shall accordingly submit official complaints to UEFA and FIFA.”

But the claims of racism against Mourinho have been rejected by African football lovers who assert that Mourinho’s well-documented history of working with African footballers defeats the argument being postulated by Galatasaray.

They hold that the likes of Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Romelu Lukaku, Tammy Abraham, Salomon Kalou, Makelele, and others are examples of black players whose careers were positively impacted by Jose Mourinho.

There’s no coach in the history of football that has done more for African players than Jose Mourinho.

— Slimfit (@iSlimfit) February 25, 2025

Galatasaray’s baseless motion is such a big blow against the credibility of the anti-racism movement (at least in Turkey).

1 • Mourinho’s name is bigger than Gala’s
2 • People know Mourinho is simply not a racist

Galatasaray with social media is like kids playing with fire. pic.twitter.com/Gb5H57pU0Q

— IM (@Iconic_Mourinho) February 25, 2025

Jose Mourinho is the Coach who gave more black players opportunities than any other top flight Coach. Not only did he give them opportunities, he also mentored them and ensured most of them succeeded. He has a big mouth, a larger heart and he is not a racist!

— Dr Dípò Awójídé (@OgbeniDipo) February 25, 2025

They called this Jose Mourinho a racist btw. One of the reason why some Chelsea fans don’t want Osimhen in Chelsea. pic.twitter.com/f5oiholHZR

— SHAYEE 𒀭 (@tier_first) February 25, 2025

You can call Jose Mourinho anything, but you can never call him a Racist. pic.twitter.com/JHEKxkhUCx

— Trey (@UTDTrey) February 25, 2025

Mourinho can be blunt and very rude but everyone knows he isn’t racist

— MBAH (@Mbahdeyforyou) February 25, 2025

Here’s the video in question from Jose Mourinho.

My personal take is…Jose is many things and a racist is not one of them. Judge the man off his track record for 30 years, not one poorly worded sentence. pic.twitter.com/2u0Lc6Ad9m

— Football Hub (@FootbalIhub) February 24, 2025

Galatasaray should be charged by @UEFAcom for their RACIST complaint against Jose Mourinho.

They clearly believe the word “monkeys” is a reference to black people. They are actually the racists in this situation if you really think about it. @Galatasaray 

— Ayo Shonaiya (@AyoShonaiya) February 25, 2025

Jose Mourinho is one of the few managers to openly appreciate and speak about Victor Osimhen’s ability as a striker. You can accuse that man of everything but racism isn’t one of them.

— LERRY (@_AsiwajuLerry) February 25, 2025