Mourinho Accuses Vinicius Jr of Inciting Benfica Before Racism Incident
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has claimed that Vinicius Jr's goal celebration was an inciting factor in the events that led to a racism row during Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League play-off first leg. The match was paused for 11 minutes after Vinicius reported an alleged racist remark from Benfica's Ginaluca Prestianni, with tensions escalating in the stadium.
Mourinho's Post-Match Comments Spark Controversy
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the match, Mourinho expressed his belief that Vinicius's celebration was disrespectful and contributed to the subsequent scenes. "It should be the crazy moment of the game, an amazing goal in a good game... these talents are able to do these beautiful things but unfortunately he [Vinicius] was not just happy to score that astonishing goal and then the game was over," Mourinho said. "When you score a goal like that you celebrate in a respectful way."
When asked if Vinicius had incited Benfica players and the crowd with his dance by the corner flag, Mourinho responded, "Yeah, I believe so." He added, "The words they exchange, Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent. I don't comment about it."
Mourinho's Conversation with Vinicius During the Pause
During the break in play, Mourinho revealed he spoke to Vinicius, advising him on his conduct. "I told him that when you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back," Mourinho explained. "And then when he was arguing about racism I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was black. This club, the last thing it is is racist, so if in his mind it was something in relation to that, this is Benfica."
Mourinho further commented on the frequency of such incidents involving Vinicius, stating, "There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium that Vinicius plays [in] something happens. Always." He concluded by lamenting the disruption to the match, saying, "I'm saying that it was a good 50 minutes of football, millions of people watching around the world, a crazy goal absolutely crazy goal and then game over."
Pundits Criticise Mourinho's Remarks as Unfair and Misguided
Amazon Prime pundits Wayne Rooney, Clarence Seedorf, and Theo Walcott were quick to condemn Mourinho's comments, with Rooney labelling them "unfair" and Seedorf accusing Mourinho of making a "big mistake." Rooney said, "As he said he's trying to stay independent but I think it was very unfair what he said about Vinicius."
Seedorf elaborated, "I think he's [Jose Mourinho] is still emotional. I think he made a big mistake today to justify racial abuse and I'm not saying that was the case today but he mentioned something more than today. He said wherever he goes these things happen, so he's saying it's okay when Vinicius provokes you, that is it okay to be racist and I think that is very wrong."
He emphasised, "We should never, ever justify racial abuse. And Vinicius has had enough of that unjustified behaviour from people. And I know Mourinho by heart would agree with me but he expressed himself a bit unfortunately I believe. Because we should not be telling the people at home that someone makes a dance or something then it's okay to be racist."
Theo Walcott bluntly added, "That's the one time we shouldn't have heard from him [Mourinho], tonight he should not have been in front of the cameras."
The incident has reignited discussions about racism in football, with Vinicius Jr's allegations highlighting ongoing challenges in the sport. Real Madrid's narrow victory was overshadowed by the controversy, leaving fans and analysts debating the appropriateness of Mourinho's statements and the broader implications for combating discrimination in European competitions.
