Mourinho draws red line in Prestianni racism case | OneFootball

Mourinho makes position clear in racism row

Mourinho draws red line in Prestianni racism case

Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said Gianluca Prestianni will not stay at the club if racism against Vinicius Junior is confirmed.

Mourinho takes clear stand on racism

Jose Mourinho head coach of Benfica has issued strong warning regarding Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni.

The Portuguese coach stated that Prestianni would have no future at Benfica if he is found guilty of making racist comments toward Vinicius Junior during a UEFA Champions League playoff match against Real Madrid.

What happened in Lisbon

The incident reportedly took place last month at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon during the first leg of the playoff tie. Vinicius scored the only goal of the match early in second half.

After the goal, Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt. Vinicius later claimed the Argentine player directed a racist remark toward him. Prestianni has denied the accusation.

Following the complaint, UEFA opened investigation and issued Prestiani a provisional one-match suspension which ruled him out of the return leg played last week.

Possible heavy punishment

UEFA’s investigation is ongoing and Prestianni could face stronger sanction if found guilty. The player is 20 year old and the case is being treated seriously due to UEFA’s strict stance on discrimination.

Mourinho initially faced criticism for his first reaction as he suggested Vinicius had provoked the crowd with his celebration and did not immediately condemn Prestianni.

Mourinho clarifies his position

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mourinho made his position clear. He said he is completely against racism, discrimination and ignorance, and stressed that these values also represent Benfica.

Mourinho explained that presumption of innocence is important but added that if Prestiani is proven guilty, his relationship with both the coach and the club would end immediately.

He stated that if the player is responsible, he would never look at him the same way again and confirmed that such behavior would not be tolerated under his leadership.