No racism against Vini Jr? Mourinho and Benfica use bizarre arguments | OneFootball

The scandal surrounding Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who has been accused by Real Madrid of racially insulting Vinícius Júnior, continues to overshadow the Champions League match between the Portuguese and the Spanish teams. After the game, Benfica and their coach, José Mourinho, put forward questionable arguments in defense.

The club stated in a video posted on X that the Real players were supposedly too far away to have heard what Prestianni said to Vinícius.

However, the video clearly shows that Eduardo Camavinga and Kylian Mbappé were only a few steps away from Prestianni and Vinícius. According to 'Real Total', Mbappé even said after the final whistle that his teammate had been called a "monkey": "Five times, I heard it."

Mourinho, on the other hand, complained that Vini Jr. had celebrated provocatively with a dance at the corner flag, thereby riling up fans and Benfica players: "Why didn’t Vini Jr. celebrate like Di Stefano, Pelé, or Eusébio?" he was quoted by Fabrizio Romano. "You score such a great goal and then... Why?"

He also accused him of a recurring pattern: "This keeps happening with him. That’s the only thing I don’t understand." However, Mourinho did not explain why this should justify racist insults from his player.

Jamie Carragher, a TV pundit in England, commented on the statement as follows: "It feels a bit strange to hear that from José, we all know how he celebrates himself. Vinícius can celebrate however he wants." Mourinho is known for celebrating provocatively after big wins or important goals.

Mbappé also commented on an Instagram story by Vinícius Júnior, in which he posted a photo of his dance at the corner flag: "Dance Vini – and please never stop. They will never dictate to us what we can or cannot do."

However, Mourinho put forward another argument. Benfica, he said, has Eusébio, a Black player, as a club legend: "Benfica is not a racist club."

This is a line of argument often heard in cases of racism allegations, but in this particular case it is completely irrelevant, as no one is accusing the club itself of being racist. The issue is solely about the statements of a player.

UEFA has meanwhile announced that it will investigate the incident: "The official match reports from last night’s games are currently being reviewed. If incidents are reported in them, proceedings will be opened, and if these lead to disciplinary measures, they will be announced on UEFA’s disciplinary page."

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

📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors