Jamie Carragher has launched a withering response to Jose Mourinho after the Benfica boss suggested Vinicius Jr “incited” the racist abuse he suffered during Tuesday’s Champions League tie in Lisbon. The Real Madrid forward alleged Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni called him a “monkey” after he’d curled in a stunning opener, sparking a ten-minute stoppage as Madrid players threatened to walk . Mourinho, however, shifted the focus onto Vinicius’s celebration, claiming the Brazilian didn’t mark his “astonishing goal” in a “respectful way” .
“Anyone can celebrate how they like,” Carragher fired back on CBS Sports. “You shouldn’t get racially abused no matter what. It feels a little rich coming from Mourinho. This is a guy who celebrates and antagonises the opposition probably more than any coach has ever done.” The former Liverpool defender didn’t stop there, dragging up ghosts from Mourinho’s past that the Portuguese would rather forget. “Remember him running down the touchline at Old Trafford? I remember in a cup final against Liverpool when Chelsea scored very late, [Mourinho was] telling all the Liverpool supporters to shut up.”
Mourinho, sent off late on for his own touchline antics, had told Amazon Prime that Vinicius should have simply “celebrated and walked back” after his wonder strike . “When you score a goal like that you celebrate in a respectful way,” the Benfica boss insisted. When asked directly if he felt Vinicius incited the home crowd, Mourinho replied: “Yeah, I believe so. The words they exchange, Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent. I don’t comment about it.”
The Benfica chief then pointed to Eusebio, the club’s legendary black striker, as proof the Portuguese side couldn’t possibly harbour racist sentiments. “This club, the last thing it is is racist,” Mourinho added. But he couldn’t resist a wider dig: “There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium that Vinicius plays in something happens. Always.”
Clarence Seedorf, the former Real Madrid midfielder, didn’t hold back in his assessment of Mourinho’s comments. “I think he made a big mistake today to justify racial abuse,” Seedorf said on Amazon Prime. “He’s saying it’s OK, when Vinicius provokes you, to be racist – and I think that is very wrong. We should never, ever justify racial abuse” . Thierry Henry, speaking on CBS, accused Mourinho of doing what he always does, deflecting attention away from the real issue. “Mourinho as a coach did deflect the discussion. As soon as we came back, we started to talk about what? The celebration. Who cares? I want to know what Prestianni said” .
The incident unfolded when Vinicius, after scoring, danced near the corner flag only for objects to rain down from the Benfica faithful. Prestianni approached him, pulled his shirt over his mouth, and appeared to say something – Vinicius insists it was the word “monkey” . The Brazilian immediately alerted referee Francois Letexier, who crossed his arms to trigger FIFA’s anti-racism protocol. Madrid players huddled, considered walking, but eventually returned to see out a 1-0 win.
Vinicius took to Instagram after the match with a powerful message. “Racists are, above all, cowards,” he wrote. “They need to cover their mouths with their shirts to show how they are weak. Nothing that happened today is new to me in my life and in my family’s life. I was shown a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t know why” . Kylian Mbappe, incandescent with rage, demanded Prestianni never play in the Champions League again. “We cannot accept that a player who plays in Europe’s top competition behaves like this. This guy doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League anymore” .
Prestianni, for his part, denied the allegations in an Instagram statement. “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players” . Benfica midfielder Leandro Barreiro claimed Prestianni told team-mates it was “a normal provocation between players” and “nothing racist” .
