Mourinho comments on Vinicius incident after Benfica game
Jose Mourinho addressed the racist abuse involving Vinicius Junior during Benfica’s Champions League match against Real Madrid at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night.
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Vinicius scored the decisive goal and Real Madrid won 1-0. In the second half, play was paused for about 10 minutes after Vinicius reported a comment made by Benfica player Gianluca Prestani. The referee initiated anti-racism protocols before play finally resumed.
After the game, Mourinho said he didn’t want to pick sides between the two players but felt Vinicius’ celebrations exacerbated the situation.
“I told him [Vinicius] – When you score a goal like this, you just celebrate and walk back,” Mourinho said.
“His talent allows him to do these beautiful things, but unfortunately he’s not just happy about scoring that amazing goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
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Mourinho also defended the club, pointing to its history and identity.
“When he argued about racism, I told him the biggest [Eusebio] Black people in the history of this club,” Mourinho said.
“This club, that’s the last thing about racism. If there’s anything to do with that in his opinion – it’s at Benfica. They [Vinicius and Prestianni] Tell me different things. But I don’t believe in one of them. I want to be an independent person. “
Mourinho added that incidents involving Vinicius had happened at multiple stadiums.
“It’s problematic because it happens in every stadium,” Mourinho said. “Something always happens in the stadiums where Vinicius plays.”
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The incident was still being discussed after the game, with Vinicius having spoken out about the situation in a social media statement earlier in the evening.
Real Madrid’s victory in Lisbon secured a vital Champions League victory, although the game was overshadowed by an abhorrent incident.
