Mourinho lashes out at Vinicius Jr, who reacts via social

A match marred by a moment that is generating a thousand discussions and controversies. Benfica-Real Madrid, a match valid for the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, was interrupted for about ten minutes, shortly after the start of the second half, after Madrid player Vinicius Jr. complained to referee Letexier about racist insults he received from an opponent, specifically the Argentine Prestianni. The’incident generated chaos on the field, protests and tense moments, which led to the’activation of the Uefa protocol against racism.

Fabrizio Ponciroli

The mischief occurred at 52′, shortly after the goal scored by the Brazilian ace himself, which turned out to be decisive for the final 1-0 in favor of the Merengues: Vinicius Jr. reported to the French referee that he had been insulted by Prestianni, clearly pointing to the Benfica player as the author of the offense. The referee then triggered the anti-racism protocol by interrupting the match, with Vinicius Jr. going to sit on the bench and not at all willing to resume play, while players from both teams became involved in a paraphernalia on the sidelines.

José Mourinho, Benfica’s coach, tried, on several occasions, to talk to Vinicius Jr., trying to restore calm on the field but failing to accomplish much (in the end, the Special One was also ejected). In the post-match, the Portuguese coach pointed his finger precisely at the Real Madrid star: “Vinicius Jr. should have celebrated in a more respectful way, not upset 60 thousand people” his clear words.

Not only that, the Special One also added his own personal reflection on the’incident, quoting Benfica legend Eusebio: “Vinicius says one thing and Prestianni another, I don&#8217t side with either of them. Benfica has Eusebio as a legend: it is not a racist club”.

Vinicius Jr. vis social media published a rather eloquent post about the incident: “Racists are, first of all, cowards. They need to cover their mouths with their shirts to show their weakness,” obviously referring to Prestianni, who covered his mouth during the incident.