Benfica manager José Mourinho has accused Vinicius Junior of provoking a racist abuse incident during a Champions League playoff between Benfica and Real Madrid. Vinicius claimed he was racially insulted by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni after scoring a goal, with teammate Kylian Mbappe supporting this by stating he heard Prestiani use a racist term. Prestianni denied the allegations on Instagram, claiming no racist remarks were made. Mourinho criticized Vinicius for not simply celebrating the goal and noted that incidents occur in every stadium where Vinicius plays.
The incident drew strong reactions, with former players Clarence Seedorf and Thierry Henry condemning Mourinho’s comments as an attempt to divert attention from the racist abuse. Vinicius expressed his frustration on Instagram, labeling racists as “cowards” and questioning his yellow card for celebrating the goal. UEFA is considering the official report from the match for potential disciplinary actions.
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