Benfica manager, Jose Mourinho has revealed what he told Real Madrid winger, Vinicius after the Brazilian issued a complaint of alleged racist abuse during both sides’ UEFA Champions League Round of 16 playoff first leg tie on Tuesday.
Real Madrid won the match 1-0 in Portugal thanks to Vinicius’s only goal of the encounter.
However, there were deeply troubling scenes after Vinicius’ goal at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz.
The Real Madrid star celebrated his goal by dancing directly in front of the Benfica home fans by the corner flag.
Benfica fans reacted by hurling objects at the 25-year-old. His actions immediately upset many Benfica players, and referee Francois Letexier had to issue the Real Madrid star a yellow card.
But just moments later, during a nine-minute pause in play, Vinicius was seen complaining to Letexier about something Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni had allegedly muttered from behind his shirt in the fracas.
However, Mourinho was later seen talking to Vinicius on the pitch, and when asked what he told the player, the Portuguese said via Amazon Prime, “I saw two completely different things. I told him [Vinicius] – when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk back.
“When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person [Eusebio] in the history of this club [Benfica] was black.
‘This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. They [Vinicius and Prestianni] told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or another. I want to be independent.