Gianluca Prestianni

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany sharply criticized Benfica’s José Mourinho on Wednesday for his response to allegations of racist abuse directed at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Júnior during Tuesday’s Champions League match in Lisbon.

The controversy erupted after Vinicius, who scored the winning goal for Real Madrid, claimed Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him following a celebration near the corner flag. Prestianni allegedly repeated the Spanish word for “monkey” (“mono”) five times, according to Kylian Mbappé, who stated he overheard the incident and that other Benfica players also witnessed it. The match was briefly halted as Vinicius reported the alleged abuse to the referee.

Mourinho subsequently downplayed the accusations, referencing Benfica legend Eusébio, who was Black, as evidence against any suggestion of racism within the club. “The biggest person in the history of this club [Eusebio] was black. This club, the last thing that it is, is racist,” Mourinho told reporters.

Kompany condemned Mourinho’s response, arguing it served to discredit Vinicius’s complaint and minimize the severity of the alleged incident. “For me, what happened next is even worse. He attacked Vinicius’ character to discredit his complaint. That is something we should not accept,” Kompany said at Bayern’s press conference.

He further challenged Mourinho’s invocation of Eusébio’s legacy, questioning the historical context of Black players in European football. “he mentions Eusébio and says that Benfica cannot be racist since he is the greatest player in its history. Do you have any idea what black players had to endure in Europe in the 60s? Were you next to Eusebio in his away games?” Kompany asked.

Kompany revealed his father had shared insights into the challenges faced by Black footballers during that era, where complaints were often impossible and success was the only path to earning respect. “My father told me that a black player in those days didn’t have the chance to make complaints as has happened with Vinícius and that his only possibility was to be better than the rest to have a little respect,” he explained.

The Bayern manager expressed his belief that a sincere apology from the perpetrator would be a crucial step toward addressing the situation. “My ideal world would be that in a case like this whoever has made a mistake could apologize and that that would have an effect on the sanction. The sanction can be one or the other, but for the person responsible to say that he was wrong and apologize is something that should affect it,” he stated.

UEFA has announced it will investigate the allegations through its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, but has not yet released a timeline for its findings. Benfica and Mourinho have not issued further statements regarding Kompany’s criticism as of Wednesday evening.