"Everybody knows my bad qualities but that’s not one of them" - Jose Mourinho breaks silence on 'bad' racism allegation from rivals Galatasaray

Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho has strongly denied allegations of racism leveled against him by rivals Galatasaray. He insisted that those who made the claims were uninformed about his past and values.

The Portuguese tactician had said that the Galatasaray bench were ''jumping like monekys'' during the Istanbul derby clash last month. The comments didn’t sit well with the opposition club, as they threatened legal action in the aftermath.

Fenerbahce, however, didn’t fold their arms on the issue and hit out at their rivals before confirming in a statement that Jose Mourinho has filed a lawsuit for non-pecuniary damages.

But the former Chelsea, Manchester United, and Real Madrid boss has now broken his silence on the matter. He dismissed the claims outright, asserting that his history with African players and charities speaks volumes about his character.

Jose Mourinho said in an exclusive with Sky Sports:

"They were not clever in the way they attacked me, because they didn't know my past. They didn't know my connections with Africa, with African people and African players and African charities. So instead of going against me, I think it boomeranged and went against them."

Mourinho further emphasized that racism is not one of his flaws, stating:

"Everyone knows who I am as a person. Everybody knows my bad qualities, but that is not one of my bad qualities. Exactly the opposite! The most important thing is I know who I am, and the attack accusing racism was a bad choice."

After the racism accusations on the Special One went viral, some of his former African players leapt to his defense. Didier Drogba, whom Mourinho managed during his spells at Chelsea, said his ''Dad'' can't be a racist.

Jose Mourinho rubbishes revenge claims on former clubs as he seeks Europa glory with Fenerbahce

In the same interview, Jose Mourinho dismissed rumors that he was seeking to get revenge on his former clubs on Fenerbahce’s path to glory in the Europa League.

Should Fenerbahce get past Rangers in the round of 16 of the competition, they could face Roma in the quarterfinals. If they get past Roma, they could face Manchester United in the semis and Tottenham Hotspur, who are on the other side of the draw, in the finals.

When the Fenerbahce boss was asked if he’d heard about the ‘Jose Mourinho revenger tour,’ he said:

‘‘No. First of all, because in my mind I never feel about revenge. I never have that feeling, especially because when I leave a club, normally I leave a club with a good feeling for the club. I prefer to remember my good times in the club than the day I left the club. I never have that sense of feeling.’’

Fenerbahce will play Rangers in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday, March 6.