In response to accusations of racism, former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has publicly defended Fenerbache manager Jose Mourinho.
Mikel Obi, speaking on his podcast, described the claims as “a joke” and “baseless.”.
He was reacting to Galatasaray’s statement, in which they threatened to pursue legal action against Mourinho.
The Turkish champions were left fuming after the Portuguese said their bench was “jumping around like monkeys” during a 0-0 draw between both teams.
The former Chelsea midfielder, who played under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, has dismissed the accusations.
“For them to label our African dad (Jose Mourinho) a racist, for me, that’s a f** joke. That’s a f** joke,” he said.
Mikel Obi also claimed Mourinho treats everyone equally and questioned the motivation behind the allegations.
“This is politics in football in Turkey.
“Jose Mourinho is somebody who loves everybody.
“A beautiful, beautiful human being you can ever meet. The straightest, most straightforward human being you can ever meet in your life. Says it as it is.
“Didier Drogba Michael Essien. He loved us as his own children. So for me, this comment, this situation—I don’t even want to get into it because it’s baseless,” he said.
Written By Ifreke Inyang