Mourinho’s ‘big mistake’ after ‘disgusting’ Vinicius incident

Lisbon, Portugal – A night that began with a moment of individual brilliance ended in acrimony, accusations and a growing chorus of condemnation aimed at both the alleged racist abuse suffered by Vinicius Junior and the post-match reaction of Benfica manager José Mourinho.

Real Madrid’s 1-0 Champions League victory at Estádio da Luz was halted for ten minutes in the 73rd minute after Vinicius, having just smashed a spectacular goal into the top corner, informed French referee François Letexier that he had been racially abused by Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni. Both teams were ordered to the dressing-room while the official consulted UEFA protocol; play eventually resumed and Madrid saw out the win.

Within minutes of the final whistle the incident had ignited a firestorm. Vinicius, who has endured repeated episodes of racist abuse during his career, posted on Instagram: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life.” He also questioned why he had been cautioned for his goal celebration, calling the protocol “poorly executed”.

Prestianni, 20, took to social media to deny the claim. “At no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” the Argentine wrote, adding that he had since received threats from Madrid players. Benfica backed their player, publishing match footage on the club’s official X account and arguing that “given the distance, the Real Madrid players could not have heard what they claim to have heard”.

Mourinho, however, inflamed the situation further. Speaking to reporters, the Portuguese coach said he had spoken separately to both players and chose to believe neither, but went on to criticise Vinicius for his celebration. “When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way,” Mourinho said. “I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was black. This club, the last thing that it is, is racist.” Asked whether he felt the forward had provoked the crowd, Mourinho replied: “Yes. I believe so.”

The comments drew swift rebuke. Former Netherlands and Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf, on punditry duty for Amazon Prime, said Mourinho had “made a big mistake to justify racial abuse. He’s saying it’s OK, when Vinicius provokes you, to be racist – and I think that is very wrong.” Ex-England forward Theo Walcott added: “It was maybe the one time we shouldn’t have heard from him.”

Real Madrid players closed ranks around Vinicius. Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold branded the alleged abuse “a disgrace to football”, while Kylian Mbappé demanded that Prestianni be barred from future Champions League matches. “We cannot accept that a player who plays in Europe’s top competition behaves like this,” Mbappé said. “Let’s leave it to UEFA, who always try to do something. Now they have a serious case.”

Thierry Henry, reflecting on his own experiences, told CBS: “At times you feel lonely because it’s going to be your word against his word. He put his shirt over his mouth. Clearly, already, he looks suspicious.”

UEFA has yet to announce whether its investigation will extend to Mourinho’s post-match remarks, but the fallout has already cast a long shadow over Madrid’s hard-fought victory and reopened the debate over football’s handling of racism on the pitch.