Jose Mourinho has said some pretty ugly things in his time.
He has never shied away from personal insults about rivals, but for the most part, they have fitted the role of a cartoon villain, one he has been happy to play for the past quarter of a century.
But what he said after Vinicius Junior accused Gianluca Prestianni of racist abuse, which the player denies, during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica on Tuesday might be the worst of the lot.
Immediately after the Champions League play-off first leg, in an interview with Amazon Prime, Mourinho said: “Vini was not just happy to score that astonishing goal and the game was over. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
Asked if he thought Vinicius Jr incited the crowd at Estadio da Luz, and the Benfica players, Mourinho replied: “Yes, I believe so. The words they exchanged, Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent, I don’t want to say, ‘I believe Prestianni or don’t believe Vinicius’, because they told two completely different things.
“I told him (Vinicius Jr) that when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk back. When he was arguing about racism, I told him that the biggest person in the history of this club is Black. This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. If in his mind, there was something racist — this is Benfica.
“There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens. Always.”
Prestianni denied the allegation. “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” a statement on his Instagram account read. “I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Mourinho, for his part, was slightly more reserved in his post-match press conference with the broader media, but the damage was done.
It is slightly difficult to know where to start, but the line about Benfica legend Eusebio is as good a place as any. The idea that because the greatest player in the club’s history is Black, therefore nobody connected with them could possibly be racist, is at best surreal and absurd, at worst vicious gaslighting.
Mourinho was, in effect, telling Vinicius Jr that he didn’t hear what he says he heard. What Kylian Mbappe says was said. And, according to Mbappe, what some of Prestianni’s team-mates know was said too. And he’s telling Vinicius Jr and whoever else that they didn’t hear what they say they heard, because there’s a statue of a Black footballer outside the Estadio da Luz.
Then there’s the criticism of Vinicius Jr for celebrating in what Mourinho deems to be an inappropriate manner, carrying with it the implication that he invited alleged racial abuse on himself because he didn’t stoutly shake hands with his team-mates and jog back to the halfway line.
Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring Real Madrid’s winner at Benfica (Ricardo Nogueira/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images)
Which leads to the killer, the repeated slur about Vinicius Jr. The implication that this is all his fault, that because he’s a character that can undoubtedly irritate and enrage, the only way for opposing fans or players or whoever to express their irritation and anger is to use allegedly racist language, that somehow they have no choice.
This shouldn’t need saying, but since we’re here: they do have a choice.
It doesn’t even particularly matter who Mourinho believes in this situation. It would have been nice if he had recognised that the fact Vinicius Jr has called out this stuff before is primarily an indication that he’s willing to call it out, and that he knows racist abuse when he hears it. But the instinct of a manager to defend one of his own players is understandable, to a point, and Prestianni has denied the allegations.
If Mourinho did want to be “independent”, all he needed to do was say he would leave things until they have been investigated, that Prestianni denies the accusations, that racism must be fought at every turn and if it is determined that Prestianni did racially abuse Vinicius, then he will be punished accordingly.
But he didn’t do that.
Gianluca Prestianni holds his shirt over his mouth (Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images)
You wonder what the Black players in the Benfica squad are thinking after this. Dodi Lukebakio. Bruma. Joshua Wynder. Alexander Bah. Sidny Lopes Cabral. What are they going to think if, for example, at some point, they are racially abused by a team-mate, or a fan, or someone else connected with the club? That their manager believes and supports them, that racism must be condemned with even more fervour if it comes from one of their own, that this evil must be expelled from this historic institution?
Or that Eusebio played for Benfica, so Benfica is not a racist club?
At times like this — as is the case most times, come to think of it — one turns to Clarence Seedorf for some wisdom. Working for Amazon Prime in the UK, Seedorf said: “I have huge respect for Jose as a coach, as a person. He’s still emotional, he made a big mistake today to justify racist abuse.
“I’m not saying that was the case today, but he mentioned something much more than only today; that these things happen to Vinicius everywhere he goes. He’s actually saying that it’s OK when Vinicius provokes you to abuse him racially. That is very wrong.
Clarence Seedorf was working for Amazon Prime at the match (Daniela Porcelli/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images)
“Mourinho is right by saying he doesn’t know who is telling the truth, so he has stayed independent — there is going to be an investigation on that. We should never, ever, in any circumstance, justify racial abuse. Vinicius has had enough of that unjustified behaviour from many people.
“I know Mourinho by heart would agree with me but he expressed himself unfortunately. We should not tell the people, or other players, that when somebody makes a dance, it is OK for you to be abusing that person racially.”
And on CBS’ coverage in the United States, former England defenders Jamie Carragher and Micah Richards were quick to point out the hypocrisy of Mourinho’s comments.
“It feels a bit rich,” said Carragher. “This is a guy who celebrates and antagonises the opposition more than any coach has ever done.” Richards added that he felt let down by Mourinho, such “a powerful person within the sport”, and one to whom so many people listen.
A little while after the final whistle, this message was posted on Vinicius Jr’s Instagram.
“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts over their mouths to show how weak they are.
“But they have, alongside them, the protection of others who, in theory, have an obligation to punish. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my family’s life.
“I got a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.
“I don’t like to appear in situations like this, even more so after a great victory and when the headlines have to be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”