Jose Mourinho under intense criticism over alleged racial abuse of Vinicius Junior

Lisbon, Portugal — A dramatic Champions League playoff night at the Estádio da Luz was hijacked by a fresh racism storm after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior informed the referee that Benfica teenager Gianluca Prestianni had aimed a monkey slur at him following the Brazilian’s 67th-minute goal.

Play stopped for almost ten minutes while Spanish official Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea spoke to both players; microphones around the pitch picked up Vinicius telling the referee Prestianni had used the word “mono.” Prestianni, 19, later denied the claim, insisting the Madrid star “misinterpreted what he thought he heard.”

Yet the post-match spotlight swung quickly to Jose Mourinho, the former Roma and Chelsea boss who is strongly tipped to become Portugal’s next head coach and who was working the match for a domestic broadcaster. Rather than unreservedly condemning the alleged abuse, Mourinho appeared to question Vinicius’s role in the flashpoint, referencing the forward’s celebration and a series of previous altercations across Spanish stadiums.

“When you score a goal like that you celebrate in a respectful way,” Mourinho told reporters. Asked whether he felt the Brazilian had “incited” the reaction, he replied: “Yeah, I believe so. I want to be independent. I don’t comment about it.”

The 61-year-old then invoked Benfica legend Eusébio: “I told him that the biggest person in the history of this club was Black. This club, the last thing that it is, is racist.” He concluded with a broader swipe: “There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium that Vinicius plays in something happens. Always.”

Those comments ignited immediate backlash across the football world. Clarence Seedorf, working for Amazon Prime, accused Mourinho of “justifying racial abuse,” adding: “He’s saying it’s okay when Vinicius provokes you, that it is okay to be racist and I think that is very wrong.”

Wayne Rooney branded the Portuguese’s framing “very unfair,” while Theo Walcott argued the occasion “wasn’t a night for him to be in front of the camera.” CBS pundit Jamie Carragher recalled Mourinho’s own exuberant touchline sprints and cup-final gestures, calling it “a bit rich” to lecture Vinicius on celebration etiquette. Micah Richards labelled the diatribe “hypocrisy,” stressing that “people pay attention to his words.”

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, although not addressing Mourinho directly, condemned the alleged slur as “a disgrace to football… disgusting.”

Vinicius, who has endured multiple racist incidents during his time in Spain, posted a defiant message on Instagram within hours of the final whistle: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show their weakness. Nothing that happened today is new in my life.”

UEFA is expected to open an investigation into the incident, while Real Madrid have formally requested that European football’s governing body apply its “zero-tolerance” protocol. Mourinho, meanwhile, faces mounting pressure to clarify or retract his statements as critics argue that influential voices must confront racism unequivocally rather than shift blame onto victims.

The episode underscores how, despite years of anti-racism campaigns, football remains unable to prevent discriminatory abuse from clouding its showpiece occasions.