Mourinho and Benfica under fire after Real Madrid’s Vinicius alleges racism

Mourinho and Benfica under fire after Real Madrid’s Vinicius alleges racismFormer Real boss Jose Mourinho criticised for his response to alleged racism by his Benfica player towards Vinicius.Jose Mourinho, head coach of Benfica, speaks to Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid during a UEFA Champions League 2025-26 match on February 17, 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal [Angel Martinez/Getty Images]Published On 18 Feb 2026Real Madrid’s 1-0 win at Benfica in the UEFA Champions League was marred by further allegations of abuse aimed at the Spanish club’s Brazilian international Vinicius Junior.The 25-year-old forward, who has 45 caps to his name and will lead Brazil’s attack at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has been the victim of a series of instances of racist abuse, with 18 ‌legal ‌complaints filed against racist behaviour targeting him since 2022.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao to face Ruslan Provodnikov in Aprillist 2 of 4Ronda Rousey, Gina Carano end MMA retirements to fight in Maylist 3 of 4Cricket legends ‘deeply concerned’ over Imran Khan’s deteriorating healthlist 4 of 4‘Zionist to the core’: Swiss commentator slams Israeli bobsleigh teamend of listThe latest alleged incident, following an exchange with Benfica’s Argentinian winger Gianluca Prestianni and a subsequent row with the home side’s manager Jose Mourinho, saw Real leave the field of play at the Portuguese club’s Estadio da Luz, or the Stadium of Light, for 10 minutes on Tuesday.What led to Vinicius and Real Madrid leaving the pitch?The match, which was the first leg of the playoff tie between the clubs for a place in the last 16 of the Champions League, had reached the 55th minute when Vinicius and his teammates retreated to their dressing room.Vinicius had just given Real the lead with a stunning, curled effort, but was then booked for an excessive celebration, which Vinicius disputes.The Brazilian was clearly confronted by Prestianni at this point, and this is where the controversy began.The Argentinian lifted his shirt over his mouth to say something to Vinicius, who, along with nearby teammates, allege was a racial slur.Referee Francois Letexier halted the match for 11 minutes after activating FIFA’s antiracism protocols.Why is Mourinho drawing criticism following the incident?As Real left the field, Mourinho and Vinicius were then involved in a heated confrontation, which later led to further comments and controversy.Mourinho, who once managed Real, said he has heard different versions of the incident from Vinicius and Prestianni, and wished to be “an independent”.The Portuguese, who also managed Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter Milan, however, became the target of criticism himself, due to a post-match interview suggesting Vinicius is regularly surrounded by controversy.“There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium,” Mourinho said.“A stadium where Vinicius plays something happens, always.”Mourinho was also asked if he felt Vinicius incited the crowd with his goal celebration: “Yes. I believe so.“It should be the crazy moment of the game, an amazing goal,” Mourinho continued. “Unfortunately, [he was] not just happy to score that astonishing goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.“I told [Vinicius], when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk back. When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person in the history of this club [Eusebio] was Black.“This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. If in his mind there was something in relation to that, this is Benfica.“They [Vinicius and Prestianni] told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or another. I want to be independent.”Did the Benfica-Real match conclude?The game was played out to the end after the 10-minute delay, but the atmosphere grew hostile after play resumed.Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe were loudly booed by the home crowd whenever they touched the ball.Despite the rising tensions, the game was closed out without further interruptions.The teams will meet again for the second leg next Wednesday at the Bernabeu.Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica, right, speaks towards Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid during a UEFA Champions League match [Angel Martinez/Getty Images]What more do we know from the footage of the Real-Benfica game?With Prestianni clearly covering his mouth for whatever comment he made to Vinicius, the only areas that can be focused on are the immediate reactions.The footage of the game appears to show an outraged Mbappe, forward for Real Madrid and France, calling Prestianni “a bloody racist” to his ‌face.Mbappe told reporters he heard Prestianni ⁠direct the same racist remark at Vinicius several times. It is an allegation also levelled ⁠by Real’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.What has Prestianni said in response to Vinicius and Real’s charges?Denying the accusation, Prestianni said Vinicius misheard him.“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” Prestianni wrote on his Instagram account.“I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”What has Vinicius said about the incident with Prestianni?Vinicius later posted a statement on social media voicing his frustration.“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their mouth with their shirt to show how weak they are. But they have ‌the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or my family’s life,” Vinicius wrote.What else have Real Madrid said about the allegations against Prestianni?Real Madrid defender and England international Trent Alexander-Arnold spoke to the media after the game to condemn the incident.“What has happened is a disgrace to football and overshadowed the performance, as well as an amazing goal,” said Alexander-Arnold.“Vini has been subject to this a few times throughout his career. To ruin a night like this for our team is a disgrace.“There is no place for it in football or society. It is disgusting.”Has Mbappe called for Prestianni to be banned?Mbappe said he had been prepared to leave the pitch immediately but was persuaded by Vinicius to continue playing, before the referee intervened, as per protocol.“We cannot accept that there is a player in Europe’s top football competition who behaves like this. This guy [Prestianni] doesn’t deserve to play ⁠in the Champions League any more,” Mbappe told reporters.“We have to set an example for all the children watching us at home. What happened today is the kind ⁠of thing we cannot accept because the world is watching us.”When asked ⁠whether Prestianni had apologised, Mbappe laughed.“Of course not,” he said.Former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf was among the first to react to Mourinho’s comments.“He is still emotional, [but] he made a big mistake today to justify racial abuse,” Seedorf told 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. Vinicius has had enough of that unjustified behaviour from people. I know Mourinho by heart would agree with me, but he expressed himself a bit unfortunately.”Former England international Theo Walcott also criticised Mourinho.“I am quite calm and composed, and I am not someone who gets angry often,” the former Arsenal forward told Amazon Prime.“I love everything Jose Mourinho has done in football, but I think he has made a poor decision in that sense. It was maybe the one time we shouldn’t have heard from him, the one night he should not have been in front of the cameras.”Former Barcelona forward supports ViniciusSpeaking on CBS, former France, Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry said he could understand fully how Vinicius was feeling.“I can relate to what Vinicius Junior is going through. That happened to me so many times on the field. At times, you feel lonely because it’s going to be your word against his word, because we don’t know what he has said,” Henry said.“He put his shirt over his mouth. Clearly, already, he looks suspicious because he didn’t want people to see what he said.”