John Mikel Obi, a former Super Eagles captain, has come out to defend Fenerbache boss, Jose Mourinho, over allegations of r@cism.
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 r@cist, 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 that loves everybody.
“A beautiful, beautiful human being you can ever meet. The straightest, the straightforward human being you can ever meet in your life. Says it as it is.
“Didier Drogba Michael Essien. 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.
🫡 ‘A BEAUTIFUL HUMAN BEING’@mikel_john_obi is backing José Mourinho to the hilt over racism storm.
🗣️ Powerful stuff!
📺 An impassioned Mikel hits out at Carra & defends Mou: https://t.co/3NYSqlTX6N pic.twitter.com/oiUG2k5x8M
— The Obi One Podcast (@obionepodcast) February 26, 2025
