Mourinho under fire: Reminiscent of an 'I have a black friend' moment | OneFootball

The match between Benfica and Real Madrid, related to the UEFA Champions League play-off, continues to generate strong controversy days after it was played. The alleged episode of racism involving Vinícius Júnior and Gianluca Prestianni has prompted various reactions in the football world, with Gary Lineker being the latest public figure to comment on the case. Vincent Kompany also criticized the 'Special One'.

In the podcast 'The Rest Is Football', the former English international defended the Brazilian forward: "Vinícius scored a fabulous goal and celebrated as any player would. Then, according to him and Mbappé, who was nearby, he was subjected to racial abuse by Prestianni. It will be difficult to prove, but I say two things. Why would Vinícius and Mbappé lie?" he questioned.

The former forward went further and framed the episode within a broader social problem: "I would say this goes beyond football. We live in times of great division, where we turn against each other. Whether it's because of the color of our skin, ethnicity, or religion," he stated.

Lineker also criticized José Mourinho's stance, considering that he blamed Vinícius for the reactions that followed the goal. "José Mourinho had the audacity to blame Vinícius for celebrating his goal. Basically, he said he deserved it. I'm sorry, but that's psychological manipulation," he pointed out.

Finally, the former player also lamented Mourinho's reference to Eusébio as a defensive argument. "It seemed a bit like one of those moments of 'Oh, one of my friends is black'. I will probably be accused of being woke, but I think it's immensely important that it's not just black players speaking out. It has to come from us," he concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.