Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League was marred by further abuse allegations against Brazil international Vinicius Junior at the Spanish club.
The 25-year-old forward, who has 45 caps and will lead Brazil’s attack at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, has been the victim of a series of racist abuses, with 18 legal charges filed against him since 2022.
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The latest incident, which followed an exchange with Benfica’s Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni and a subsequent altercation with home team manager Jose Mourinho, forced Real to leave the field for 10 minutes at the Portuguese club’s Estadio da Luz (Stadio of Lights) on Tuesday.
What caused Vinicius and Real Madrid to leave the pitch?
Vinicius and his teammates retired to the changing room after 55 minutes of the match, which was the first leg of a play-off between the two clubs for a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Vinicius had just given Real the lead with a stunning curling shot, but there were to be over-the-top celebrations afterwards, which Vinicius disputes.
The Brazilian was clearly at odds with Prestiani, and this is where the controversy began.
The Argentine lifted his shirt to his mouth to say something to Vinicius, but Vinicius, along with his teammates nearby, claimed it was a racial slur.
Referee François Letexier suspended the match for 11 minutes after invoking FIFA’s anti-racism protocols.
Why is Mourinho attracting criticism after the incident?
Once Real left the field, Mourinho and Vinicius were involved in a heated confrontation, which sparked further comments and controversy afterwards.
Mourinho, the former Real manager, said he had heard different interpretations of the incident from Vinicius and Prestianni and wanted to be “independent”.
However, the Portuguese manager, who also managed Manchester United, Chelsea and Inter Milan, was himself the subject of criticism after a post-match interview suggested Vinicius was constantly embroiled in controversy.
“It happens in every stadium, so there’s something wrong with it,” Mourinho said.
“Something always happens in the stadium where Vinicius plays.”
Mourinho was also asked if he thought Vinicius had incited the crowd with his goal celebration, to which he replied: “Yes, I think so.”
Mourinho continued: “It was the best moment of the game, a great goal.” “Unfortunately, (he) wasn’t just happy to score that amazing goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate with respect.
“I told[Vinicius]that when you score a goal like that, you just have to celebrate and go home. When he was discussing racism, I told him that the greatest person in the history of this club (Eusebio) is black.”
“This club is in no way racist. If there is anything in his mind associated with that, this is Benfica.”
“They (Vinicius and Prestiani) told me different things. But I don’t believe in either one. I want to be independent.”
Has the match between Benfica and Real been decided?
The match was played until the end after a 10-minute delay, but the atmosphere was tense after the match resumed.
Vinicius and Kylian Mbappé were loudly booed by the home crowd every time they touched the ball.
Despite heightened tensions, the match was completed without interruption.
The two teams will meet again next Wednesday in the second leg at the Bernabéu.
What more can we learn from the footage of the Real vs. Benfica match?
All we can focus on is the immediate reaction, as Prestiani clearly covers his mouth no matter what comment he makes about Vinicius.
Footage from the match shows Real Madrid and France forward Mbappe furious with Prestiani, calling him a “bloody racist” to his face.
Mbappe told reporters that he heard Prestiani direct the same racist remarks at Vinicius several times. This suspicion was also raised by Real’s French midfielder Aurélien Choameny.
What did Prestiani say in response to Vinicius and Real’s accusations?
Mr Prestiani denied the accusations and said Mr Vinicius had misheard.
“Let me be clear: I never directly directed any racist insults at Vini Jr. He unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard,” Prestiani wrote on his Instagram account.
“I have never been racist towards anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
What does Vinicius say about the incident with Prestiani?
Vinicius later posted a statement on social media expressing his displeasure.
“Racists are cowards above all else. They need to cover their mouths with their shirts to show how weak they are. But in theory they have the protection of others who are obligated to punish them. What happened today is not new in my life or in the lives of my family,” Vinicius wrote.
What else does Real Madrid say about the allegations against Prestiani?
Real Madrid defender and England international Trent Alexander-Arnold spoke to the media after the game and condemned the incident.
Alexander-Arnold said: “What happened was a disgrace to football and overshadowed not only the great goal but also the performance.”
“Vini has been through this several times throughout his career and it’s a shame for the team to ruin a night like this.
“There’s no place for that in football or in society. It’s disgusting.”
Did Mbappe ask for Prestiani to be suspended?
Mbappe said he was ready to leave the pitch immediately but was persuaded by Vinicius to continue playing before the referee intervened as per regulations.
“It is unacceptable that there should be players who behave like this in Europe’s top football competition. This man (Prestiani) is no longer eligible to play in the Champions League,” Mbappe told reporters.
“We have to set an example for all the kids who are watching us at home. What happened today is the kind of thing that we cannot accept because the world is watching us.”
Asked if Prestiani had apologized, Mbappe laughed.
“Of course not,” he said.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf was one of the first to react to Mourinho’s comments.
“He’s still emotional, but today he made a big mistake by justifying racial abuse,” Seedorf told Amazon Prime.
“He says it’s okay to be racist if Vinicius provokes him, and I think that’s very wrong.”
“We should never justify racial abuse. Vinicius has had enough of injustice from people. I know in my heart that Mourinho would agree with me, but he expressed some regret.”
Former England international Theo Walcott also criticized Mourinho.
“I’m very calm and collected and I’m 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 made the wrong decision in that sense. It was probably one time we shouldn’t have heard from him, one night he shouldn’t have been in front of the cameras.”
Supporting former Barcelona forward Vinicius
Former France, Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry told CBS that he completely understands Vinicius’ feelings.
“I can empathize with what Vinicius Junior is going through. It happened many times on the field. Sometimes you feel alone, because you go against his words, because you don’t know what he said,” Henry said.
“He put his shirt over his mouth. He obviously already looked suspicious because he didn’t want people to see what he was saying.”
“Let’s see how great a person Prestiani is. Tell me what you said.”
