José Mourinho has been accused of gaslighting by the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out for his response to Vinícius Júnior’s allegation of racist abuse during Real Madrid’s Champions League playoff win over Benfica in Lisbon.
The Benfica manager referenced the Brazilian forward’s goal celebration, which he described as “stupid”, when discussing the incident. Mourinho told Amazon Prime: “I told him: ‘When you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back.’ They told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or another. I want to be an independent.”
Vinícius alleged that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him, with Kylian Mbappé accusing the Argentinian of calling the forward a monkey five times. The game was delayed for 10 minutes, with Madrid’s players initially prepared to walk off. Prestianni denied the claim, and Uefa has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate. Benfica said they would collaborate but reiterated support for their player, whom they described as the “victim” of a “smear campaign”.
Kick It Out responded: “When anyone reports discrimination in football, or anywhere, the first priority is that they are listened to and feel supported. Focusing on Vinícius Jr’s goal celebration or the history of the club, instead of acknowledging the report, is a form of gaslighting.” The former Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedorf also criticised Mourinho, saying: “He’s saying it’s OK when Vinícius provokes you … and I think that is very wrong.”
During the match, some Benfica supporters threw bottles at Vinícius after his goal and at least one fan was filmed making a monkey gesture. The Portuguese authority responsible for combating football-related violence is to investigate the incident. Vinícius posted on Instagram: “Racists are above all cowards [who] need to put their shirts over their mouth to demonstrate how weak they are.”
Tchouaméni said Vinícius reported that Prestianni had said “monkey”, while Prestianni claimed the player had said “maricon”. Prestianni denied using racist language, saying he regretted the threats he received from Real Madrid players. Benfica posted a video of the moment Vinícius spoke to the referee, claiming that given the distance, the Madrid players could not have heard what they say they heard. The referee did not include the incident in his report, meaning the Uefa inspector must attempt to establish what happened.
