Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has called for players and coaches found guilty of racism to be banned from football for life, following the alleged racial abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during a Champions League match. Vinicius left the pitch after accusing Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him on Tuesday. Prestianni has denied the allegations, and Benfica have described him as a 'victim' of a 'smear campaign'. The Argentinian faces a 10-game ban if found guilty by Uefa.
Rosenior, who has experienced racial abuse himself, said: 'Any form of racism in society, let alone football, is unacceptable. When you see a player upset, like Vinicius Junior was, normally they're upset for a reason. What people have to understand is that when you are judged for something you should be proud of, it is the worst feeling you can ever possibly imagine.'
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho appeared to suggest Vinicius had been provocative with his 'stupid' goal celebration. Rosenior declined to comment on Mourinho's remarks, citing the ongoing investigation, but stressed: 'Regardless of how a player celebrates, race should never come into it.'
Rosenior also criticised divisions in modern society, blaming sections of the media for making prejudgments. 'There are a lot of people in the media who make prejudgments on people based on sexual orientation, country of origin, religion, or skin colour. It sickens me. People need to be held more accountable, especially on social media and in the press, to ensure these things are stamped out.'
