Victor Osimhen, the Nigerian forward for Galatasaray, recently faced backlash for supporting his club’s anti-racist statement against Fenerbahce manager José Mourinho. The controversy stemmed from Mourinho’s post-match comments following a 0-0 draw between the two teams. Mourinho had made derogatory remarks, including referring to the Turkish referee’s potential decisions as a “disaster” and mentioning how the bench had reacted to a challenge, saying they were “jumping around like monkeys.”
Galatasaray accused Mourinho of making racist comments and announced plans to pursue criminal proceedings while filing complaints with UEFA and FIFA. In response, Osimhen reposted the club’s anti-racism statement on his Instagram, sparking criticism from some netizens. Many questioned whether he was merely aligning with his club’s stance, as he is employed there, while others felt his involvement in the controversy was unnecessary.
Critics argued that Mourinho’s words had been taken out of context and that Osimhen could have stayed out of the issue, avoiding unnecessary attention. Some also questioned why Osimhen hadn’t been vocal about previous controversies involving other players or managers. However, there were those who defended Osimhen, stating that he merely shared the post from his club without calling Mourinho a racist and that he shouldn’t be blamed for the club’s official actions.
