The Champions League match against Benfica on Tuesday night was suspended for 10 minutes after Real Madrid players left the field after Vinicius Junior reported allegations of racist abuse from Gianluca Prestiani.
Jose Mourinho speaks out about Vini Junior’s racial abuse allegations (Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho has insisted that “something will happen” in every stadium where Vinicius Junior plays, after the Real Madrid player claimed on Tuesday night that he had been racially abused by Gianluca Prestiani. During the second half of the Champions League match against Benfica, play was stopped for about 10 minutes as the Brazilian and his teammates left the field.
Vini Junior gave his team the lead in the 50th minute of the game at the Estadio da Luz and then danced by the corner flag in front of the home supporters. Before the match continued, the winger exchanged words with Prestiani before reporting him to the referee for making a racist comment.
Mourinho was seen talking to Real Madrid players, including Vini Junior and Kylian Mbappé, as tensions rose inside the stadium. And the Portuguese head coach gave his thoughts on the full-time issue in an interview with Amazon Prime.
read more: Trent Alexander-Arnold denounces racist abuse allegations against Vinicius Jr. ‘Shameful’read more: Jose Mourinho furious and sent off during Real Madrid vs. Benfica
Mourinho said: “It should have been a crazy moment of the game, a great goal in a good game. These talented players can do great things, but unfortunately he (Vinicius) was not just happy to score that amazing goal, but the game was over. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate with respect.”
The Portuguese head coach was later asked if he thought Vinicius Junior had “incited” the home crowd and players with his celebrations, and he replied: “Yes, I think so. The words they exchanged, Prestiani and Vinicius, I want to be independent. I won’t comment on that.”
Mourinho went on to explain that he was spotted talking to Vigny Junior during a break in play, saying: “I told him that when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk away. And when he was discussing racism, I told him that the greatest person in the history of this club is a black man (Eusebio). This club is racist and there is absolutely nothing racist about it. So if there is anything in his mind that relates to it, this is Benfica.
In a shocking turn of phrase, the 63-year-old claimed there was a controversy regarding Vini Junior in “every stadium” he plays at. He continued: “It’s happening in every stadium, so there’s something wrong with it.
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“Something happens in every stadium where Vinicius plays. All the time. What I mean is, it was watched by millions of people all over the world and it was an amazing 50 minutes of football. A crazy goal, an absolutely crazy goal, and then the game was over.”
This coincided with Vini Junior also making a statement of his own after the 1-0 win over Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League play-off knockout round. He said: “Racists are cowards above all else.
“They have to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But in theory, they have the protection of others who are obliged to punish them.
Vini Junior claims he was racially abused by Gianluca Prestiani (Image: Getty Images)
“What happened today is nothing new in my life or in the life of the team. I got a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t know why it happened.”
“On the other hand, it didn’t help anything and was just a poorly executed protocol. I don’t like appearing in situations like this. It’s necessary, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid.”
Elsewhere, Prestiani broke his silence on claims that he directed racist insults against Vini Junior, saying: “To be clear, I never directly directed any racist insults at Vini Junior. Vini Junior unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist towards anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
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