Mourinho Declares Prestianni's Punishment For Vinícius Racism Row: 'If Prove...'

Last Updated:March 01, 2026, 18:33 IST

Mourinho condemns discrimination but says if allegations against Gianluca Prestianni over abuse of Vinícius Júnior are proven, “his career with me is over.”

Benfica head coach José Mourinho has broken his silence on the allegedly racist abuse hurled by his winger, Gianluca Prestianni, at Real Madrid superstar Vinícius Júnior during the UEFA Champions League playoff first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu. UEFA banned Prestianni from the second leg as a preliminary measure during its investigation, a decision which Mourinho also criticised as short-sighted.

Mourinho had copped significant criticism for taking a vague, non-committal stance after the incident. He had controversially criticised Vinicius for his effusive goal celebration — after which Prestianni allegedly called him a ‘monkey’ — and said his club could not be racist because its greatest icon, Eusebio, was black.

Mourinho stayed away from the press for the next few days and missed the second leg against Madrid owing to his ban. On Sunday, ahead of Benfica’s clash against Gil Vicente F.C., he stressed that representing Benfica comes with responsibility and that no player is exempt from those standards.

“I anticipate and say that I repudiate any kind of discrimination, prejudice, and ignorance. I also advise everyone to read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and I say that criticism reflects more on the person making it than on the person being criticised," he said.

He defended his ‘neutral’ stance on the incident, saying it was better than Madrid’s young coach Álvaro Arbeloa calling for UEFA to investigate and push the fight against racism.

“I said I didn’t want to wear either Real Madrid’s white shirt or Benfica’s red shirt in a situation that could potentially be serious. That’s why I tell you to read the Declaration of Human Rights and I repudiate any discrimination or prejudice. And I also tell you that if it is proven that my player did not respect these principles, which are mine and Benfica’s, that player’s career with coach Mourinho and with Benfica will come to an end," he added.

“I’m not a scholar, but I’m not ignorant either. I presume innocence and always include a ‘what if’. Unfortunately, UEFA, to remove the player from the game, preferred to look at article 416328 to remove him from the game, and they went in the direction of not including ‘what ifs’. If the player is indeed guilty, I will not look at him the same way again, and that’s it for me. But I have to put many ‘what ifs’ in front of me," he said.

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