Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has criticized José Mourinho for attacking the character of Vinícius Júnior after the Real Madrid star accused an opponent of racially insulting him during a Champions League match.
Benfica coach Mourinho suggested that Brazil forward Vinícius had incited Benfica’s players with his celebrations after scoring the only goal in Tuesday’s playoff match.
Vinícius accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of calling him “monkey” during a confrontation after his goal.
Mourinho also questioned why Vinícius, who is Black and has been subjected to repeated racist insults in Spain, was so frequently targeted.
“There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium,” Mourinho said. “The stadium where Vinícius played something happened. Always.”
Speaking on Friday, Kompany condemned Mourinho’s comments.
“So after the game you have the leader of an organization, José Mourinho, who attacks the character of Vinícius Júnior by bringing in the type of celebration to discredit what Vinícius is doing in this moment,” Kompany said. “And for me in terms of leadership, it’s a huge mistake and it’s something that we should not accept.”
Mourinho’s celebrations
UEFA appointed a special investigator on Wednesday to gather evidence about what happened in Lisbon in Madrid’s 1-0 win in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. Madrid said it had sent “all available evidence” of the alleged incident to European soccer’s governing body.
Referring to Vinícius’ celebrations after curling a shot into the top corner, Mourinho said he should “celebrate in a respectful way.”
Kompany pointed out 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.
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’ve heard. I understand maybe what he’s done, but he’s made a mistake and it’s something that hopefully in the future won’t happen like this again,” he said.
Prestianni denied racially insulting Vinícius. Benfica said the Argentine player was the victim of a “defamation campaign.”
‘Right thing to do’
Kompany said Vinícius’ reaction “cannot be faked.”
“You can see it — 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 Junior to go and do this.
“I think in his mind he’s doing it more because it’s the right thing to do in that moment.”
Kompany added: “You have a player who’s complaining. You have 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