José Mourinho is not one to remain silent. Even as his winger, Gianluca Prestianni, faces serious accusations, the Benfica coach shifted the focus to Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior, who is allegedly the main victim in this case.
Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Benfica at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, highlighted one of football’s most persistent scourges: racism.
After scoring the only goal of the match, which gave the Spanish club the advantage in this UEFA Champions League playoff series, Vinícius allegedly received racist insults from Prestianni.
While fans and media await the investigation by European football authorities, Mourinho broke his silence with statements that, rather than calming the situation, may intensify the controversy.
Was Vinícius’s celebration inappropriate?
After scoring in the 50th minute, Vinícius ran toward the corner flag, facing the Benfica crowd to celebrate.
In postmatch comments, Mourinho said:
I told Vini Jr. the celebration had to be different. This club has Eusébio as a legend, a Black player. Benfica is not a racist club.
He added:
- “Vini should have celebrated with his teammates, not in front of 60,000 people. He’s an incredible player. I love him. But if you score like that, you should celebrate with your teammates.”
Finally, Mourinho asserted that he would not take sides in the controversy:
- “I have spoken to both of them; Vinícius tells me one thing and Prestianni another. I will not choose a side.”
Prestianni’s alleged insults toward Vinícius Jr.
Players such as Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni claim to have heard Prestianni call Vinícius a “monkey” several times after the goal.
The Brazilian forward, in response, asked referees to apply UEFA’s protocol for racism cases. He even left the field for several minutes while the situation was addressed.
Although Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt during the incident to prevent cameras from capturing his words, UEFA has promised a thorough investigation.
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