ICYMI: ‘The last thing this club is is racist’ – Mourinhopublished at 13:29 GMT
13:29 GMT
In case you missed it, Benfica manager Jose Mourinho was seen speaking with Vinicius after the player took the decision to walk off the pitch following the interaction with Gianluca Prestianni.
The Portuguese said in his post-match interview that he was told different things by Vinicius and Prestianni regarding the incident.
In addition to expressing his belief that Vinicius had been disrespectful with his goal celebration, he pointed to the club’s legendary striker Eusebio as proof that Benfica is not a racist club.
Asked if he felt Vinicius incited the crowd, Mourinho said: “Yes. I believe so.
“It should be the crazy moment of the game, an amazing goal. Unfortunately [he was] not just happy to score that astonishing goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
He added: “I told [Vinicius], when you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back. When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person in the history of this club [Eusebio] was black.
“This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. If in his mind there was something in relation to that, this is Benfica.
“They [Vinicius and Prestianni] told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or another. I want to be an independent.”
Image source, Getty Images