Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has criticised Jose Mourinho’s handling of the alleged racial abuse from Gianluca Prestianni towards Vinicius Junior last week. The Benfica manager was widely criticised for focusing on Vinicius’ celebrations after his goal, rather than the incident himself, with many seeing his words as a way of justifying Prestianni’s insults.
In terms of what happened last week, Courtois revealed that it was Vinicius’ call for the players to continue playing after the incident with Prestianni. The Belgian veteran felt that it was an issue that the decision comes down to Vinicius.
“This is a great moment for football to put an end to these things. We know what Vinicius has told us… and it’s something that has happened many times. We have to stop it. UEFA decides…”
“They’re getting better and better. Ultimately, the problem is that at that point, it’s Vinicius who decides whether we go back to playing; because if he says no, we’ll consider leaving. And then it’s up to the UEFA official to decide what happens with the match.”
“As for the situation in the stands, it’s grounds for stopping the game and ejecting those people. But of course, it’s not normal for a player to see what’s happening in the stands; that’s the responsibility of the match official. And the authorities should be called. We need to stop being so foolish as a society.”
‘Mourinho is Mourinho’ – Courtois
Speaking about Mourinho’s comments, in which he claimed that with Eusebio as an icon of the club, ‘Benfica could not be racist’. He also noted that ‘it’s a problem everywhere Vinicius goes, in every stadium’, while discussing his celebrations.
“Well, Mourinho is Mourinho, and as a manager, you’ll always defend your club. But it bothers me that Vinicius’ celebration is being used against him. It was disappointing. Because when Real Madrid concede, it’s double or triple that. It happened, and we have to move on. It happened, and we can’t justify a suspected act of racism because of a celebration.”
Prestianni is set to miss the game at the Bernabeu after UEFA handed him a one-game temporary ban while the investigation continues. If Benfica’s appeal were to be successful, Courtois was not sure whether he and his side would shake his hand though.
“It’s something we players haven’t discussed. We’ll see what we decide as a team.”
Prestianni allegedly admitted to homophobic abuse
Courtois would go on to condemn the words of former Paraguay goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, who sided with Prestianni. The Benfica winger has reportedly told UEFA’s investigation that he had called Vinicius a homophobic slur rather than a racist one. This was put to Courtois.
“It seems he said it… and I think it’s just as serious. They’re homophobic insults. Just like what happened in the stands at Da Luz was extremely serious. You might like a player more or less, but doing that is deplorable. I don’t know if he’s been condemned, or if they’ve said whether they’re going to prosecute those who made the monkey gesture… but both racism and homophobia are unacceptable. And his insults are just as bad. If he doesn’t cover his mouth then… we can only imagine what he says when he does.”
Courtois hits back at Rui Costa comments
Meanwhile Benfica President Rui Costa had defended Prestianni on their arrival in Madrid on Tuesday, saying that he was not racist, and drew attention to Fede Valverde’s swing at Samuel Dahl. Benfica reported the incident to UEFA, but they have dismissed the allegation of violent conduct.
“Using the Fede thing… it’s completely irrelevant. He had no intention of hitting an opponent. Regarding Prestianni… it’s difficult, it’s always going to be one word against another. But we are 100% behind Vinicius, who has been through a lot… and has never said anything like that. He heard it 100%, as he has heard it many times before, and I believe him 100%. Since he covered his mouth, we’ll never know. And Benfica will defend their player. But there’s not much more we can do: it’s up to UEFA, to the institutions.”
