Jose Mourinho Under Fire For 'Big Mistake' After Vinicius Jr. Incident In Real Madrid's Champions League Playoff Match Against Benfica

Real Madrid faced Benfica again in the Champions League for their playoff clash. Vinicus Jr's goal in the 50th minute of the game was the only goal of the match. Despite the win, Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr. got marred in controversy, after the match was stopped for nearly 10 minutes when the player alleged that Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni had racially abused him.

The alleged incident occurred after Vinicius Jr. scored a goal for his side, for which he was booked, and was confronted by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, who pulled a shirt over his mouth before saying something to the Madrid forward. Following this, Vinicius ran to the referee and informed him that he was allegedly racially abused by the Benfica player. The match was stopped for nearly 10 minutes before it was eventually resumed.

After the match, Benfica boss Jose Mourinho suggested that Vinicius Jr. instigated and provoked abuse with his goal celebration and defended his side, saying that the club is not racist. Following his comments, the manager has come under fire for his comments, as he also alluded that this was an ongoing incident with Vinicius Jr. in every stadium he plays.

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Jose Mourinho Criticised For His Post-Match Comments

The Brazilian has been outspoken about the racial abuse he has faced since the start of his professional career. Notably, in June 2024, three Valencia fans were jailed for eight months for racially abusing him during a LaLiga game the previous year, in the first verdict of its kind in Spain.

Following Mourinho's comments on Vinicius, former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf criticised his remarks and called it a 'big mistake.' Clarence said on Amazon Prime, "I think he made a big mistake today to justify racial abuse, and I'm not saying that was the case today, but he mentioned something more than today. He said, wherever he goes, these things happen, so he's saying it's OK when Vinicius provokes you, that is, it's OK to be racist, and I think that is very wrong."

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Vinicius Jr. Calls Out Racial Abuse Following The Match

Following the match, Vinicius Jr. took to Instagram story to call out the alleged racial abuse he faced in the match. The player called them the biggest cowards as they needed to put their shirts over their mouths to demonstrate how weak they are. He also expressed his disappointment as no action was taken against the Benfica player, and instead was given a standing ovation by the audience when he left the field.