Mourinho Breaks Silence on the Vinícius-Prestianni Racism Row at Real Madrid
José Mourinho has spoken publicly for the first time about the racism controversy between Vinícius Júnior and Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni from February 2026 — a subject made considerably more awkward by the fact that Mourinho, Benfica's manager at the time, has since taken charge of Real Madrid and now manages Vinícius himself.
What Happened in February
The incident occurred during a Champions League knockout-round tie between Benfica and Real Madrid. After Vinícius scored and celebrated in front of the home fans — for which he was booked — Prestianni pulled his shirt up over his mouth and said something to him that Vinícius, backed by nearby Real Madrid teammates including Kylian Mbappé, alleged was a racial slur.
Referee François Letexier halted the match for around ten minutes under FIFA's racist-incident protocol, introduced in May 2024, while Vinícius initially refused to continue playing. UEFA suspended Prestianni and opened a formal investigation led by an ethics inspector; when it closed, the Argentine winger was sanctioned for discriminatory conduct rather than a formal racism charge, and Benfica denied he had admitted to using a racial insult.
An Awkward Role Reversal
At the time, Mourinho — then Benfica's manager — drew heavy criticism for appearing to suggest Vinícius had provoked the abuse with his goal celebration; the anti-discrimination group Kick It Out accused him of "gaslighting." Since then, Mourinho has left Benfica and returned to Real Madrid for the 2026/27 season, meaning he now manages the very player at the center of the incident he was criticized for downplaying.
Breaking the Silence
Speaking this week, Mourinho said he had been "massacred by public opinion, mainly by so many opportunists, in a situation that was absolutely uncontrollable," adding that he felt "crucified" by public opinion at the time. He pointed out that Prestianni was never disciplined for racism specifically, and that the dispute came down to one player's word against another's: "nobody had any proof."
Neither Real Madrid nor Mourinho has indicated the comments will affect his relationship with Vinícius, who remains a key part of the squad under his new manager heading into Matchday 2.