Kompany says Mourinho made a mistake over Vinicius Jr incident | OneFootball

Vincent Kompany has criticised José Mourinho’s response to the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Jr during Real Madrid’s match at Benfica, calling it a significant mistake.

According to BuLi News, Tuesday’s Champions League game was halted for 10 minutes after Vinicius and his Real Madrid team-mates left the pitch following alleged racist abuse from Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. Earlier, Vinicius opened the scoring and was booked for an excessive celebration. Prestianni, 20, denies using racist language, saying Vinicius misheard him.

It was also reported that some home supporters directed racist gestures at Vinicius. After the match, Benfica coach Mourinho said the players gave him different accounts and suggested the forward had provoked the crowd with his celebration. He further argued the club cannot be racist because of Eusebio’s status.

At his Friday press conference, the Bayern Munich coach sided with Vinicius, saying the Brazilian had no reason to lie and that questioning his celebration was a leadership error that should not be accepted. He rejected the Eusebio defence, noting what black players endured in the 60s and suggesting Eusebio likely felt compelled to stay quiet and be far better to gain credit.

Kompany stressed his respect for Mourinho’s reputation and said he was not judging him as a person, but maintained the Benfica coach had made a mistake and hoped it will not be repeated. UEFA has launched an investigation into the events.

Source: BuLi News