Lilian Thuram Accuses Jose Mourinho of “Superiority” in Vinícius Jr. Racism Row
We are just a day removed from the Benfica vs Real Madrid game in which Vinicius Jr. suffered alleged racist insults from Gianluca Prestianni.
Despite a great result for Los Blancos, winning 1-0, the news is dominated not only by the incident but also by the reaction from the Portuguese club and their head coach, Jose Mourinho. After the game, the Eagles coach was quick to deflect the serious allegation by accusing Vinicius Jr. of inciting the crowd with his celebration after the goal.
Not only that, Mourinho pointed to the famous Benfica player Eusébio being black, so the club could not be racist, which was also an outrageous statement. As expected, the comments have not gone down well, with many firing back at the Portuguese coach.
One response that stood out was that of former French footballer Lilian Thuram. The World Cup winner did not hold back during an interview (h/t L'Equipe).
Lilian Thuram Calls Jose Mourinho Out Over Comments
The former Parma, Juventus, and Barcelona player, who is the father to Marcus and Khéphren, who both play in Serie A, has made his feelings clear on Jose Mourinho's comments. He labeled him a 'petty man' amongst other things.
“Jose Mourinho is a great coach with an exceptional career. He has worked with many black players in his life and that doesn’t stop him from doubting the veracity of a racist act."Lilian Thuram
"But how can he say that? But who are you, Mr. Mourinho, to allow yourself to decide what Vinicius Junior has the right to do or not? There is a feeling of superiority and white narcissism in his words."
Thuram even brought up that fact the Kylian Mbappe heard what was said,
"The racist act that Vini was a victim of is not linked to his behavior, but to the color of his skin. And how can we not take into consideration what the players say? So, is that it? Vinicius is crazy; he invented an insult and rushed toward the referee."Lilian Thuram
"Kylian Mbappé heard it as well, so Mbappé is crazy too? Black people are crazy, is that it? They are paranoid and invent stories…"
His final words were the point that many do not understand, which is sad, especially in this day and age.
"When Mourinho tries to make us believe that Vinicius Junior is responsible for the racism he suffers, it’s pathetic. Through this analysis, he becomes a petty person, a petty man."Lilian Thuram
"Mourinho does not analyze the racist act as a man but as a white man. We are not obliged to think through the lens of his skin color.”
The two teams will meet again on February 25 in the second leg, with UEFA investigating the allegation. It feels unlikely that a decision will be made before then. Over the last 24 hours, there has been unwavering support for Vinicius Jr., which is great to see, but also does not change what has happened.
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-031bbeb5612ca252e2129722373fa56d.png "Jordan Merritt")
Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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