Former Super Eagles captain, John Mikel Obi, has come to the defense of Fenerbahce manager, Jose Mourinho, amidst allegations of racism.
Speaking on his podcast, Mikel Obi described the accusations as “a joke” and “baseless.”
His comments were in response to a statement from Galatasaray, which threatened legal action against Mourinho. The Turkish champions were outraged after Mourinho allegedly said their bench was “jumping around like monkeys” during a 0-0 draw between the two teams.
The former Chelsea midfielder, who played under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, dismissed the accusations.
“For them to label our African dad (Jose Mourinho) a racist, for me, that’s a joke. That’s a joke,” he said.
Mikel Obi also asserted that Mourinho treats everyone equally and questioned the motives behind the allegations.
“This is politics in football in Turkey.
“Jose Mourinho is someone who loves everybody.
“A beautiful, beautiful human being you can ever meet. The straightest, the 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.
