Mourinho breaks silence on Vinicius Jr comments with Prestianni vow | Football | Sport
Benfica boss Jose Mourinho has declared he will no longer regard Gianluca Prestianni “in the same way” should the Argentine be found guilty of directing a racial slur at Vinicius Junior. Benfica winger Prestianni is accused of aiming the slur at the Real Madrid star during their Champions League play-off first-leg clash on February 17.
The altercation between the pair triggered a 10-minute stoppage in play as referee Francois Letexier activated UEFA’s formal anti-racism protocol. The European football governing body issued Prestianni with a provisional one-match ban whilst an ethics and disciplinary inspector examines the allegations further. He denies racially abusing the Brazilian.
As a result of the ban, Prestianni was ruled out of the second leg of their Champions League tie against Real on Wednesday evening. The Spanish giants triumphed 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
Mourinho faced fierce criticism after accusing Vinicius Jr of inciting the crowd with his goal celebration prior to the alleged racial slur in the first leg. He has now addressed the backlash in a pre-match press conference ahead of Benfica’s league fixture at Gil Vicente on Monday evening.
He said: “If he is indeed guilty, I will no longer look at him the same way, and it will be over with me. I absolutely condemn all forms of discrimination and idiocy. If my player has not respected the principles, which are mine and those of Benfica, his career will end with me.”
Benfica have also refuted allegations that Prestianni confessed to his team-mates that he had racially abused Vinicius Jr.
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In an official statement, the club said: “Sport Lisboa e Benfica categorically denies that the player Prestianni has communicated to the squad or the club’s structure that he has uttered a racist insult to the player Vinicius Jr, from Real Madrid.
“As has already been made public, the player apologised to his teammates for the incident that occurred during the match against Real Madrid, regretting the dimension and consequences of it and assuring everyone, as he has done since the first hour, that he is not racist.”
Prestianni has publicly rejected the accusations, claiming his opponent had “misinterpreted” his words. He faces a potential 10-match suspension if found guilty.
