Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior has described racists as 'cowards' after alleging he was subjected to racist abuse by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni during Tuesday's 1-0 win in Lisbon. The Brazilian claimed Prestianni called him a monkey multiple times, prompting a 10-minute delay as anti-racism protocols were activated.
Vinicius wrote on social media: 'Racists are above all cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have by their side the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish.' He criticised the protocol as 'poorly executed' and said the headlines should have been about Madrid's victory.
Teammate Kylian Mbappe backed the accusation, saying he saw Prestianni call Vinicius a monkey five times. 'This type of person is no colleague, he shouldn't play the Champions League again,' Mbappe said. Real Madrid youth coach Alvaro Arbeloa added that the team would have supported Vinicius if he had chosen to walk off, stating: 'We cannot tolerate this.'
Prestianni denied the allegations on Instagram, claiming Vinicius 'misunderstood what he thought he heard.' Benfica manager Jose Mourinho urged balance, saying he would not call Vinicius a liar nor his player innocent, but questioned Vinicius's celebratory behaviour after scoring.
