Manager Jose Mourinho has said that Gianluca Prestiani will no longer play for Benfica if he is found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Junior.
Mourinho, who came under fire for his first comments after the first leg of last month’s Champions League knockout tournament, told a press conference on Sunday that he was “completely and completely opposed to discrimination, prejudice, ignorance and stupidity of any kind.”
Prestiani is under investigation by UEFA and was suspended for last week’s return match in Madrid, with Benfica losing their appeal against the ban. Prestiani denies the charges but could face a long ban if found guilty.
Mourinho added: “If my players do not respect these principles, which are also mine and Benfica’s principles, that player’s career with Jose Mourinho as a coach and with Benfica as a club will be over.”
“I’m not an academic, but I’m not ignorant either. The presumption of innocence is a human right.
“I stand by my opinion. If the player is really guilty, I will never look at him the way I used to and it’s over with me.”
“But before that, you have to put in a lot of ‘what ifs’.”
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Prime Minister Clinton Morrison criticizes Gianluca Prestiani for covering his mouth over allegations of racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior during Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid
The first thing Mourinho said about the incident was…
Vinicius Jr. initially refused to allow the first leg between the teams to continue last Tuesday following the incident with Prestiani.
The Madrid forward had just given his team the lead. He was then scheduled to celebrate in front of Benfica’s fans, but when he confronted Prestiani, Prestiani pulled his shirt over his mouth before he could say anything.
Vinicius Jr. ran and spoke to match referee François Letexier, who immediately stopped the match. In response, the referee crossed his arms in front of his face, invoking FIFA’s anti-racism protocols.
After the match, Mourinho said in an interview with Amazon Prime: “I told[Vinicius Junior]that when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk away. They[Vinicius Junior and Prestianni]told me different things, but I don’t believe in one or the other. I want to be independent.”
“When he was discussing racism, I told him that the greatest person in the history of this club (Eusebio) was black.
“This club is racist.”
Vinicius has repeatedly spoken out against the racism he has experienced inside stadiums. In June 2024, in the first ruling of its kind in Spain, three Valencia fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for racial abuse during a La Liga match the previous year.
“It happens in every stadium, so there’s something wrong with it,” Mourinho said. “Something always happens in the stadium where Vinicius plays.”
A member of Benfica’s coaching staff was shown a red card during the extended stoppage after Mourinho was seen speaking to a visibly upset Vinicius Junior.
Mourinho was also sent off for a separate incident and was suspended for the second leg, which Benfica lost 2-1, 3-1 on aggregate, and was not required to speak to the media before or after that game.
“Prestiani will be suspended for 10 games”
Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports News:
UEFA moved very quickly to suspend Prestiani. They appointed an ethics inspector last Wednesday to investigate allegations that Prestiani had racially abused Vinicius Jr. the night before.
The inspector has already consulted with relevant parties and submitted an interim report to UEFA’s disciplinary body, recommending that Prestiani be suspended for one match while disciplinary proceedings continue.
The inspector believes there is prima facie evidence that Prestiani breached UEFA’s regulations on discriminatory conduct, which imposes a suspension of at least 10 matches.
UEFA said the provisional suspension would not cause any harm and Prestiani could expect a fair hearing.
Mbappe explains what he heard
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe said in a post-match interview that he had heard Prestiani make a racist rant against his team-mates, and said the Benfica winger should not be allowed to play in the Champions League.
“I know everything,” the France international said after the match. “I’ll explain everything that happened.
“Vinicius scores a goal. It’s a great goal. He goes dancing and people boo him. That happens a lot in football. Then there’s a tense moment with the Benfica players. It’s better not to happen, but things like this can happen.”
“This is the Champions League, the best competition in the world for clubs, so it’s normal for people to want to win, to do what’s best for the club and the fans and to protect their colours.
“Then Benfica’s No. 25 – I don’t want to mention his name because he doesn’t deserve it – started calling me names. It’s not acceptable, but it happens in football and will continue to happen.”
“He put his shirt over here (over his mouth) and said five times that Vinicius is *****. I heard it, some Benfica players heard it too. And from that moment everything you have seen started.”
“I want to explain this calmly. I don’t want to speak in general terms. I’ve been to Portugal many times. Fortunately, I have many teammates and friends from Portugal, and nothing has ever happened to me.”
“When it comes to things like this, it’s very important to speak in a very clear way and not to speak in general, because there are people who have done nothing wrong. I think there are 70,000 people in the stadium who have done nothing wrong. They just wanted to support their team.”
“I have the utmost respect for Benfica and one of the best coaches of all time who has made history at Real Madrid.
“But for me this player doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League anymore.
“It’s great to play in the Champions League. It’s the best competition. Everyone here, all the journalists, love the Champions League, right? The Champions League inspires me as a player, it inspires people, it inspires children. And we have to set the best possible example for young people.”
“If something like this were to happen, I think all the values of football would be worthless. I think everything that we believe is worthless is worthless. We have to do something.”
