Vincent Kompany believes Benfica manager Jose Mourinho made a “big mistake” with his comments about Vinicius Junior.
On Tuesday, the Real Madrid forward temporarily refused to return to the field after being accused of racial abuse by Gianluca Prestiani after scoring during a Champions League match in Lisbon.
UEFA has appointed an Ethics and Discipline Inspector to investigate the incident, but Sky Sports News reported that the process could take up to three weeks to complete.
After the match, Mourinho suggested it was Vinicius who incited the home fans in the post-goal celebration, saying: “When you score a goal like that, you celebrate with respect.” He added: “Something goes wrong because it happens in every stadium. In every stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens. Always.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho said he tried to “maintain balance” in his response to Vinicius Junior’s racism allegations against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Mourinho has been widely criticized for his subsequent comments, with Bayern Munich manager Kompany slamming the Portuguese on Friday.
“This is a difficult subject. I saw it happen live and there are several different elements to this story. Firstly, what happens on the pitch. Secondly, what happens among the fans as well. Thirdly, what happens after the game. These three things we need to clearly differentiate.”
“What’s happening on the pitch is that when you look at Vini Junior’s actions, you can’t disguise his reaction. You can see that his reaction is an emotional reaction. He goes to the referee and takes all this misery on his shoulders. There’s no reason for Vinny Jr. to go and do this, and when he does it, he’s doing it because in his head it’s the right thing to do at that moment.
“Next to him is Kylian Mbappé, who is usually always very diplomatic and Kylian Mbappé is very clear about what he heard and saw, and even more clear when he talks about it after the game.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Kylian Mbappe has shared his interpretation of the alleged racist abuse suffered by Vinicius Junior, saying that if such incidents are allowed to occur, the values of football become “worthless”.
“So all this stuff happens. But of course there are players who hide what they said with their shirts, and in the end there are players who complain and players who say they didn’t do it. It’s a difficult case unless the player himself comes forward.”
“I understand that. But there were people at the back of the stadium making monkey signs and it was shown on video. And what’s even worse for me, and I’m saying that obviously, is what happens after the game.”
“We have the leader of the organization, Jose Mourinho, who attacks Vinicius Junior’s character by bringing in some kind of celebration to discredit what Vinicius Junior is doing at this moment.
“From a leadership perspective, this is a huge mistake and should not be accepted.”
In his comments, Mourinho appeared to point to Eusebio’s legendary figure at Benfica as proof that club officials could not be racist, a sentiment echoed by Comany.
“Then he mentioned Eusebio’s name and said that Benfica cannot be racist because Eusebio is the best player in Benfica’s history.
“Do you know what black players had to go through in the 60s? He traveled with Eusebio for every away game and saw what he went through all over Europe?”
“My father is also a black man who made his way in the 1960s, so maybe the only option left for them at that time was to remain silent. It would have been 10 times better to say nothing, keep your head up, get some credit, and have people say, ‘Actually, he’s a good guy.’
“I guess that was Eusebio’s life. Today, I want to use his name to make a point about Vini Junior, but Vini Junior is actually in a situation where he can finally speak out about it…There are a lot of players in different leagues in Europe who don’t have a voice. There are players in Hungary, Bulgaria and Serbia. If something happens to them, they are black players and there is no chance of them getting any support.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior was on the receiving end of a number of racist insults before the incident at Benfica.
“Vini Junior is at least in a situation where he was able to seize this moment and protest at this moment thanks to many players.”
Kompany accuses Mourinho of attacking Vinicius’ character
Kompany also accused Mourinho of attacking Vinicius’ character and cited incidents that may have made Mourinho vulnerable to discrimination.
Kompany referred to the Portuguese’s infamous celebration at Old Trafford during his time as Porto manager, and the 2023 Europa League final in which he was charged with using “insulting/abusive language towards match officials” during a clash with referee Anthony Taylor, who was escorted home after being verbally abused by a fan.
“One of the things you shouldn’t do is fire the person and attack the character of the person who is complaining about what they’ve been through and something that’s very painful for them.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Liverpool manager Arne Slott says football must do more to combat racism following allegations of racist abuse against Vinicius Junior during a match between Benfica and Real Madrid.
“Because Jose Mourinho attacked Vini Junior’s celebration when he was knee-sliding at Old Trafford. When he went in front of the fans in the semi-final between Inter Milan and Barcelona, he went in front of the Barcelona fans and celebrated.
“When he played against Sevilla at AS Roma, he was fighting with the referees and after that game they had to go out of the country under protection. In that moment, if someone had been racist against Mourinho, I would have hoped that we would all have said ‘stop’. His celebrations don’t matter. Let’s listen to him and stick to some simple things, some core things.”
“I met 100 people who worked under Jose Mourinho. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Jose. All the players who played with him love him. I understand him as a person. I understand that he is fighting for the team, for the club. And he made that decision.”
“You can’t be a bad person, and all the former players you’ve ever been around are not going to speak positively of you. I know he’s a good person. I don’t need to judge him as a person, but I know what I’ve heard, and I’m sure you’ll be happy. I understand what he probably did, but he made a mistake. I hope it doesn’t happen again in the future. We can move forward and grow and always look at what we can do together instead of what separates us.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Journalist Darren Lewis has argued that greater deterrents are needed to tackle racism in football, including long suspensions, after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior was allegedly racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestiani.
“I hope Prestiani still has room to apologize if he is guilty.”
Asked what he would like to see happen behind the scenes, Kompany admitted he would like Prestiani to be given an opportunity to apologize and serve his sentence if he is found guilty.
“My dream is for the situation to end. If it is true that the Benfica player said something as bad as what was said, I would like to see a situation where there is still room for someone to apologize and say, ‘I’m sorry for my mistake.’ This will also influence the verdict.”
“So the sentence should be A or B, but if you admit you made a mistake, you should have the opportunity to say, ‘Hey, nobody’s perfect.’ This is also a good step. But we remove all these options. Because we are left or right, white or black, and we have to be on one side or the other. ”
