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Mourinho Blames Vinicius Goal Celebration for Benfica Clash
18 Feb
Summary
- Mourinho cited Vinicius Jr.'s goal celebration as an inciting incident.
- A 11-minute match pause occurred following exchange between players.
- Pundits criticized Mourinho's comments as unfair and a mistake.
Jose Mourinho, Benfica's manager, controversially attributed the subsequent match disturbances to Vinicius Jr.'s goal celebration during Real Madrid's 1-0 Champions League victory. Following Vinicius's spectacular second-half goal, his jubilant dance near the corner flag drew the ire of opposing players and fans.
The situation escalated when Vinicius exchanged words with Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, reportedly over an alleged racist remark. This led to an 11-minute pause in the game, during which Mourinho was observed speaking with Real Madrid players.
Mourinho stated he believed the celebration was an "inciting incident," suggesting Vinicius should have celebrated more respectfully. He recounted telling Vinicius that Benfica is not a racist club and that such incidents happening repeatedly wherever Vinicius plays indicates a problem beyond Benfica.
Pundits Wayne Rooney, Clarence Seedorf, and Theo Walcott reacted with shock and disagreement. Rooney described Mourinho's comments as "unfair," while Seedorf called it a "big mistake" to justify racial abuse, emphasizing that Vinicius Jr. has endured enough such behavior.
