‘Unacceptable’—Kompany Slams Mourinho for Vinicius Jr Remarks

The Portuguese’s stance left many shocked after Vinicius Jr alleged he’d been the victim of racist abuse.

The stance of José Mourinho (left) has irritated Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany. | Octavio Passos/UEFA/Getty Images, S. Mellar/FC Bayern/Getty Images

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany says José Mourinho made a “huge mistake” with the “unacceptable” comments he made in the wake of alleged racist abuse aimed at Vinicius Junior.

Real Madrid’s electrifying forward scored the only goal of the midweek Champions League win over Benfica but after returning to the halfway line ahead of the game’s restart, he was subjected to an alleged racist comment from Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni.

The Argentine has denied the claims and has been vociferously backed by his club. Mourinho, who spoke to Vinicius Jr at the time of the incident as the game was stopped for 10 minutes, also decided to support his player, and astonishingly placed the blame at the feet of Vinicius Jr for what had happened.

“I told [Vinicius], when you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back,” Mourinho said to reporters. “When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person in the history of this club [Eusébio] 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.”

---

Kompany: Huge Mistake to ‘Discredit’ Vinicius Jr

Mourinho’s words have drawn a strong response from Bayern Munich manager Kompany, who was asked in his own news conference what he’d made of events in Lisbon.

“After the game you have leader of an organisation, José Mourinho, who basically attacks the character of Vinicius Jr by bringing in the type of celebration to discredit what Vinicius Jr is doing in this moment," Kompany said.

“For me, in terms of leadership, it’s a huge mistake and it’s something that we should not accept.”

“I know 100 people who have worked with José Mourinho. I’ve never heard a person say anything bad about José,” he continued. “I understand he is fighting for his team and his club. You cannot be a bad person and have all the ex-players you have had talk so positively about you.

“I don’t need to judge him as a person but I know what I’ve heard. And I understand maybe what he has done, but he has made a mistake.”

---

Vinicius Jr ‘Repulsed’ by Mourinho Remarks

Vinicius (left) has taken to social media. | Valter Gouveia/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

According to Spanish outlet El Chiringuito, Vinicius has been left understandably furious by Mourinho’s comments, finding the Benfica manager’s ignorance “repulsive.”

Vinicius took to social media after the victory at Estádio da Luz, writing: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them.

“Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team's life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.”

UEFA and the Portuguese government have launched an investigation into the incident.

---