After controversy, Mourinho to skip pre-Real Madrid interview | OneFootball

On Monday, Benfica announced that José Mourinho will not participate in the press conference for the match against Real Madrid, scheduled for this Wednesday, for the return leg of the Champions League playoffs. The Portuguese coach will also not be on the sidelines, as he will be serving a suspension.

According to the information released by the club, the role will be taken over by assistant coach João Tralhão. The press conference is scheduled for this Tuesday at 12:15 PM (Brasília time).

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José Mourinho has been questioned about the racism accusation made by Prestianni, from Benfica, against Vinicius Júnior, from Real Madrid. The coach has not held a press conference since the controversial match played last Tuesday. Since then, the Portuguese has only given a brief interview to the club's official channel, in which he stated he is going through an emotionally difficult time.

Mourinho's last statement to the press occurred after the defeat to Real Madrid. On that occasion, he made controversial comments about Vinicius Júnior's celebration and defended Prestianni, who was suspended by UEFA.

Racism Case

The incident happened last Wednesday. After scoring the winning goal for Real Madrid against Benfica in the Champions League, Vini accused the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni, from the Portuguese team, of calling him a “monkey.” The match was interrupted for about ten minutes due to UEFA's anti-racism protocol.

The new racism complaint by Vinicius Jr. generated worldwide commotion. The Brazilian National Team forward received support from fellow professionals and the CBF, which called for strict action from UEFA and FIFA.

The alleged prejudice against the Brazilian also sparked a series of statements on the subject. Football coaches spoke out, including Kompany from Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola from Manchester City, Liam Rosenior from Chelsea, Abel Ferreira from Palmeiras, and Filipe Luís from Flamengo.

Real Madrid vs. Benfica

Real Madrid will host Benfica at the Santiago Bernabéu at 5 PM (Brasília time) this Wednesday, for the return leg of the Champions League playoffs, with a 1-0 aggregate lead.

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