Vinicius Junior: Benfica claim ‘defamation campaign’ against Gianluca Prestianni after racism allegation
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho said in his post-match interview that Vinicius and Prestianni told him different things about the incident.
Mourinho, who coached Real Madrid for 178 matches between 2010 and 2013, stated that Vinicius was disrespectful during the goal celebration and pointed to legendary striker Eusebio as proof that Benfica is not a racist club.
“The club clearly and unequivocally reaffirms its historic and unwavering commitment to defend the values of equality, respect and inclusion, which are in line with the core values of its founding and whose greatest symbol is Eusebio,” Benfica said.
Mourinho and Benfica’s comments were criticized by many, including anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out.
Kick It Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari said both the club and the manager had “failed”.
“It’s a natural tendency to believe in your player, but the truth is they haven’t heard of it,” Bhandari told BBC Sport.
“There are only two people in this conversation and there are only two people who may have heard what was said.
“I think the best response from a club with the great stature of Benfica would be to say that we will cooperate with the investigation.
“This is quite typical after such discriminatory incidents. Discrimination is one thing, gaslighting is another.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he was “shocked and saddened” by the incident and praised Letexier for invoking anti-racism protocol.
“There is absolutely no place for racism in our sport and society; we need all relevant stakeholders to take action and hold those responsible to account,” he added.
“I will always keep repeating: No to racism, no to all forms of discrimination!”
