Jos Mourinho is not one to remain silent. Despite winger Gianluca Prestiani facing serious charges, Benfica’s manager has shifted his focus to Real Madrid forward Vincius Junior, who is said to be the main victim in the incident.
Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Benfica at the Estidio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, highlighted one of football’s deepest scourges: racism.
After scoring the only goal of the match, which gave the Spanish club an advantage in this UEFA Champions League play-off series, Vincius was allegedly subjected to racist insults by Prestiani.
As fans and media await an investigation by European football authorities, Mourinho broke his silence with remarks that could intensify the controversy rather than calm the situation.
Was Vincius’ celebration inappropriate?
After scoring in the 50th minute, Vincius ran towards the corner flag to face the celebrating Benfica crowd.
Coach Mourinho said in his post-match comments:
I told Vini Jr. that the celebration had to be different. This club has a legend, Eusubio, 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 a great player, I love him, but when you score like that, you should celebrate with your teammates.”
Finally, Mourinho declared that he would not take sides in this debate.
“I spoke to both of them. Vincius told me one thing and Prestianni said another. I’m not going to take sides.”
Prestiani’s alleged insult against Vincius Jr.
Players such as Kylian Mbapp and Aurien Choamni have claimed to have heard Prestianni call Vincius a “monkey” multiple times after goals.
In response, the Brazilian forward called on the referee to apply UEFA’s protocols regarding racist incidents. He even left the field for a few minutes while the situation was dealt with.
Prestiani covered his mouth with his shirt during the incident to prevent his words from being seen on camera, but UEFA has promised a full investigation.
