Didier Drogba has weighed in on Galatasaray's accusations of racism against Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho.
Following the Turkish Super Lig clash between the sides - which ended in a 0-0 draw - chaos ensued off the pitch.
The top two sides played out the goalless game at RAMS Park in Istanbul, but after the game Galatasaray accused the former Chelsea manager of racism.
Galatasaray alleged that the Portuguese coach made a racist statement, saying: "Since the commencement of his managerial duties in Turkiye, 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" they wrote.
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It came after Mourinho described the Galatasaray bench as 'jumping around like monkeys'.
Fenerbahce responded in defence of their coach, writing: "As every sensible person can see and understand; these statements used by Jose Mourinho to describe the excessive reaction of the opposing team's technical staff to the referee decisions during the match can in no way be associated with racism.
"Trying to portray this statement as racist is a completely malicious approach.
"We would like to inform the public that we will use our legal rights regarding this pathetic slander that was made in order to take the competition off the field, change the agenda and manipulate it."
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But now, Drogba - who played at Chelsea for five years under Mourinho, and later spent over a year as a Galatasaray player - has weighed in on the drama in support of the manager.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he wrote to his former club: "Dear Galatasaray. You know how proud I was to wear the yellow and red jersey and my love for the most decorated club in Turkey.
"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.
"Let’s focus on our games, support our brilliant lions and let’s win the league.
"How can my 'Dad' be a racist? Come on guys" he concluded.
Another former Chelsea star, Michael Essien, added his support to Mourinho on social media by posting a photo of him, Drogba and Mourinho from their Chelsea days.
The ex-midfielder also showed his love for the coach by replying with a number of heart emojis to a video of an old Mourinho interview where the Portuguese called himself Essien's 'daddy' - having also called Essien 'my son' after signing him on loan for Real Madrid in 2012.
