Benfica coach Mourinho suggested that Brazilian striker Vinícius had incited Benfica players with his celebrations after scoring the only goal in Tuesday’s playoff match.
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Vinícius accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of having called him a “monkey” during a confrontation after his goal.
Mourinho also questioned why Vinícius, who is black and has been the target of repeated racist insults in Spain, was attacked so frequently.
“There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium,” Mourinho said. “In the stadium where Vinícius played something happened. Always.”
On Friday, Kompany condemned Mourinho’s comments.
“Then, after the match, you have the leader of an organization, José Mourinho, attacking Vinícius Júnior’s character by introducing the type of celebration to discredit what Vinícius is doing at the moment,” Kompany said. “And to me, in terms of leadership, it’s a big mistake and it’s something we shouldn’t accept.”
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Mourinho’s celebrations
UEFA on Wednesday appointed a special investigator to gather evidence about what happened in Lisbon during Madrid’s 1-0 victory in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. Madrid said it had sent “all available evidence” of the alleged incident to European football’s governing body.
Referring to Vinícius’ celebrations after firing a shot into the top corner, Mourinho said he should “celebrate in a respectful way”.
Kompany highlighted Mourinho’s own history of exuberant celebrations, such as when he ran down the sideline to cheer when his Porto team beat Manchester United in the Champions League.
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Kompany said Mourinho’s former players “love him” and added “I know he’s a good person.”
“I don’t need to judge him as a person, but I know what I have heard. I understand perhaps what he has done, but he has made a mistake and it is something that I hope will not happen like that again in the future,” he said.
Prestianni denied having racially insulted Vinícius. Benfica claimed that the Argentine player was the victim of a “smear campaign.”
‘The right thing’
Kompany said Vinícius’ reaction “cannot be faked.”
“You can see: his reaction is an emotional reaction. I don’t see any benefit for him to go to the referee and put all this misery on his shoulders,” he said. “There is absolutely no reason for Vini Júnior to go and do this.
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“I think in his mind he’s doing it more because it’s the right thing to do at the time.”
Kompany added: “There is a player who complains. There is a player who says he didn’t do it. And I think unless the player himself comes forward, it’s difficult. It’s a difficult case.”
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer