Kompany Slams Mourinho’s “Huge Mistake” in Vinícius Jr. Abuse Fallout
Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany has labelled Benfica boss José Mourinho’s post-match comments regarding the alleged racist abuse of Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior as a “huge mistake.” The incident, which occurred during a Champions League play-off tie, has sparked significant debate, with Kompany offering a passionate defence of the Brazilian international.
Vinícius Júnior reported an instance of alleged racial abuse to referee François Letexier after scoring against Benfica. Real Madrid later identified winger Gianluca Prestianni as the subject of the complaint. Prestianni has publicly denied making any racist remarks via an Instagram post, while his club has decried a “defamation campaign” against him. The match officials activated anti-racism protocols, leading to a 10-minute suspension of play, and UEFA has since launched an investigation into the matter.
Mourinho’s post-match remarks, suggesting that “something happens, always” in matches involving Vinícius Júnior, drew criticism. Kompany, speaking at a press conference ahead of Bayern’s Bundesliga fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt, addressed the issue, drawing on his own experiences with racism as a young player.
“For me, even worse, is what happens after the game,” Kompany stated. He recalled instances of facing monkey chants from Real Betis fans and his former Anderlecht teammate Cheick Tiote experiencing similar abuse.
Kompany expressed his strong disapproval of Mourinho’s approach. “After the game, you have the leader of an organisation, José Mourinho, who basically attacks the character of Vinícius Jr, by bringing in the type of celebration to discredit what Vinícius is doing in this moment,” he said. “For me, in terms of leadership, it is a huge mistake. It is something we should not accept. I am very clear on that.”
He emphasised the importance of supporting individuals who report such incidents. “The one thing you can’t do is dismiss a person and attack the character of a person who’s complaining about something he experienced and something that must be very painful to that person. There is something that needs to happen.”
While acknowledging Mourinho’s reputation and positive relationships with former players, Kompany maintained his stance. “I know 100 people who have worked with José Mourinho. I have never heard a person say anything bad about José. I understand he is fighting for his team and his club. You cannot be a bad person and have all the ex-players you have had talk so positively about you. I don’t need to judge him as a person, but I know what I have heard and I understand maybe what he has done, but he has made a mistake.”
Real Madrid’s Outrage and Call for Action
Real Madrid’s assistant coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, echoed the sentiment of outrage from the club. He stated that Vinícius Júnior remains “outraged” by the incident.
“Vini Jr. has been upset, as have we all,” Arbeloa told reporters. “Above all, he has been very outraged by what happened. It’s a racist act that has no place in sports or our society.”
He highlighted the opportunity to combat racism. “We have a tremendous opportunity not to let it pass and to continue fighting against this scourge that is racism. What’s really important is to combat acts like the one we witnessed the other day.”
Arbeloa stressed the unacceptability of such behaviour. “It’s an intolerable situation that we don’t want to see happen again. We will stand against it, especially when it involves a fellow professional. It’s an act that must not and should not happen. Nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies a racist act.”
Governing Bodies Step In
The Brazilian Football Confederation has formally communicated with UEFA and FIFA, urging them to “identify and punish” those responsible for the racial abuse directed at Vinícius Júnior.
Reports indicate that the UEFA investigation, being led by an ethics and disciplinary investigator, could take up to three weeks to reach a conclusion. This timeline means that Vinícius Júnior and Prestianni might face each other again in the second leg of the play-off tie at the Santiago Bernabéu next Wednesday, with the case still pending resolution.
Benfica is set to return to domestic action against bottom-placed Primeira Liga side AVS on Saturday. Mourinho has indicated that his immediate focus must be on this league fixture. However, he also acknowledged in an interview with Benfica’s in-house BTV channel that the discussions surrounding the fallout from the incident are far from over.
“It hasn’t been easy to manage emotionally, everything that has happened and continues to happen,” Mourinho admitted, underscoring the emotional toll of the ongoing situation.
