Real Madrids Vinicius accuses Benfica of racism in Mourinho era

Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League was marred by an alleged incident of racism involving Real player Vinicius Junior and Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. The match took place at Estadio da Luz on Tuesday, with Real leading 1-0 after a goal from Vinicius. However, the lead was short-lived as Prestianni allegedly made a comment to Vinicius, which led to a heated confrontation between the two players and Benfica’s manager Jose Mourinho.

According to reports, Prestianni lifted his shirt over his mouth to make a statement to Vinicius, who claimed that he had been subjected to a racial slur. The referee halted the match for 11 minutes after activating FIFA’s antiracism protocols. Real left the field for 10 minutes before resuming play.

In a post-match interview, Mourinho expressed his desire to be “independent” and stated that he had heard different versions of the incident from Vinicius and Prestianni. However, Mourinho also made comments suggesting that Vinicius’s goal celebration may have incited the crowd, which sparked criticism.

Real Madrid players Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni alleged that Prestianni directed racist remarks at Vinicius on multiple occasions. Prestianni denied these allegations, stating that Vinicius had misheard him. The teams will meet again for the second leg of the playoff tie next Wednesday at the Bernabeu.

The incident has led to further allegations of racism against Prestianni and raised concerns about the prevalence of racist behavior in stadiums.

Source: Al Jazeera