Prestianni affair: Thuram fiercely attacks Mourinho and defends Vinicius | OneFootball

Vinicius - Prestianni affair: Thuram slams Mourinho and denounces 'white narcissism'

Vinicius - Mourinho / @x.com

Lilian Thuram, former French international and ex-Juventus defender, strongly criticized José Mourinho's statements regarding the incident involving Vinicius Junior during the Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Benfica.

Tensions escalated Tuesday night at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon after Vinicius scored in the 50th minute. The Brazilian forward celebrated his goal in front of Benfica's supporters in a manner deemed provocative, earning him a yellow card from referee François Letexier.

Shortly after, Vinicius claimed he was the target of racist abuse, which he attributed to the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni. In accordance with anti-racism protocol, the referee decided to halt the match before play resumed about ten minutes later.

For his part, José Mourinho stated that he did not wish to take sides. However, he suggested that after his goal, Vinicius "should have been carried on the shoulders of his teammates instead of engaging in a debate with 60,000 people."

When asked about the role of the celebration in escalating tensions, the Portuguese coach simply replied that "the moment should have ended there."

Thuram hits back with conviction

Mourinho's remarks provoked a strong response from Lilian Thuram. The former defender denounced "a sense of superiority and a form of white narcissism," before questioning: "But who are you, Mr. Mourinho, to allow yourself to decide what Vinicius has the right to do or not do?"

He went on: "Is Vinicius crazy? Did he make up an insult and rush to the referee? Mbappé heard it too. Is Mbappé crazy as well?"

Thuram then added: "So Black people are crazy, is that it? They're paranoid and invent stories? To suggest that Vinicius is responsible for the racism he suffers is pathetic."

Thuram concluded: "With this analysis, he becomes a small-minded person, a little man. Mourinho doesn't analyze the racist act as a man, but as a white man. We're not obliged to think through the prism of skin color."