Benfica: Vinicius affair, Thuram slams ‘little man’ Mourinho!

On the sidelines of Tuesday’s Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid (0-1), Madrid winger Vinicius Junior accused his Lisbon counterpart Gianluca Prestianni of racist insults. In this case, former French national team defender Lilian Thuram criticised the media stance taken by Benfica coach José Mourinho.

‘Vinícius says one thing and Prestianni says another. I could be radical and say that I only believe what Prestianni tells me, but I try to be balanced. He scores extraordinary goals, but why does he celebrate them like that and not like one of the best players in the world? It’s always the same thing.’

A strange statement from José Mourinho. Following Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League on Tuesday, Madrid winger Vinicius Junior denounced racist insults from his Lisbon counterpart Gianluca Prestianni. Without taking sides, the Portuguese club’s coach surprised everyone by criticising the Brazilian for his celebrations…

Thuram slams Mourinho!

This statement by the Special One caused quite a stir. And in Thursday’s edition of the daily newspaper L’Equipe, former French national team defender Lilian Thuram took Mourinho to task. “The nature of his comments says a lot about “why we’re not moving forward”. Mourinho is a great manager with an exceptional career; he has worked with many black players in his life, but that doesn’t stop him, first, from doubting the veracity of the racist act and, second, from questioning the victim’s responsibility through the way he celebrated his goal,” fumed the 1998 World Cup winner.

For Thuram, there is no question of legitimising a racist attack by the Madrid player’s celebrations or even provocations. “How can he say that? Who are you, Mr Mourinho, to decide what Vinicius has the right to do or not do? There is a sense of white superiority and narcissism in this judgement. The act of racism suffered by Vinicius is not related to his behaviour, but to the colour of his skin. (…) Mourinho suggests that it may be Vinícius’s fault. That he asked for it, in short. It’s totally violent,” said the Frenchman, appalled.

The speech of a ‘little man’

On a personal level, the former FC Barcelona player was particularly disappointed by Mourinho’s immediate analysis, which he felt was overly simplistic. ‘When Mourinho tries to make us believe that Vinicius is responsible for the racism he suffers, it’s pathetic. With this analysis, he becomes a small person, a small man. As long as there is behaviour like this, we will not all be united in the fight. And that’s also the story of racism,’ Thuram concluded. A true cry from the heart.