Former Barcelona, Juventus and France defender Lilian Thuram has harshly criticised Jose Mourinho and the footballing authorities for their handling of alleged racism towards Vinicius Junior. Thuram works as an activist against discrimination in football, focusing his efforts on racism and sexism.
Real Madrid declared on Thursday that they had been actively collaborating with UEFA in their investigation into alleged racial abuse, after Vinicius Junior informed that Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni had called him a monkey. The game was halted for around 10 minutes before eventually resuming, after the anti-racism protocol was activated.
Mbappe and Vinicius’ words should be enough – Thuram
Thuram, who has written a book on racism in football and was part of the France squad that won the World Cup in 1998 amid an atmosphere of racial tension, declared that the testimonies of Thuram and Vinicius should be sufficient evidence.
“It’s 2026, and in 2026, black people can still be humiliated on the field. Because racism is humiliation. And I see that we can still question what happened. However, Vinicius recounted the events, Kylian Mbappe recounted them. But no, that’s not enough, the doubt persists, we’re not sure. But why don’t we believe these two players? Is it because the word of black men isn’t reliable?” he told L’Equipe, as quoted by Marca.
“The first instinct of white people is not to put themselves in the other person’s shoes to understand what the victim of a racist act feels. They are unaware of the violence suffered, and that is why such acts persist in 2026.”
Thuram slams Mourinho for behaviour
After the match, Mourinho said he could not take sides given he had heard two different versions of the events from Prestianni and Vinicius. However he then went on to criticise Vinicius’ celebrations immediately before the incident.
“Who are you, Mr. Mourinho, to decide what Vinicius has the right to do? His statements reek of white superiority and narcissism. The racist act that Vinicius suffered had nothing to do with his behaviour, but with the color of his skin. Mourinho suggests that it could be Vinicius’ fault. That he brought it on himself, basically. It’s outrageous. That feeling of superiority that some white people have prevents them from putting themselves in the victims’ shoes. They need more humility.”
“When Mourinho tries to make us believe that Vinicius is responsible for the racism he suffers, it’s pathetic. This analysis reduces him to an insignificant person, an insignificant man. As long as this kind of behaviour exists, we won’t all be united in the fight against it. And that’s also part of the history of racism. Mourinho doesn’t analyse the racist act as a man, but as a white man. We have to avoid thinking in terms of skin colour.”
This is not the first time that Thuram has spoken about in support of Vinicius Junior. Back in 2023, Thuram was explaining then that Vinicius’ attitude had nothing to do with racism, and was not relevant. The following year Thuram also lamented the lack of support from white players, and called on the process to be improved, as it makes black players reluctant to report incidents.
