Jose Mourinho has caused a stir with his comments. (Image: Getty)
The Special One? More like the Foolish One. Jose Mourinho embarrassed himself with his comments after Benfica’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid in midweek and exposed himself as football’s Donald Trump.
In the aftermath of Vinicius Junior’s moment of courage, with the winger having alerted referee Francois Letexier about an alleged racist comment made by Gianluca Prestianni, Mourinho not only deflected the blame but essentially flipped this issue back onto the Real Madrid star.
Jose, let’s make one thing clear: the only reason Vinicius Junior is being racially abused is because of luddites.
Speaking after events at the Estadio da Luz, Mourinho had said: “I told him [Vini]: ‘When you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back.’ They [Vinicius and Prestianni] told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or another. I want to be an independent.”
The brass neck on him. Of all people, Mourinho, whose first real memorable moment in English football came as Porto manager when he was sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline, telling players how they can and can’t celebrate.
Mourinho then appeared to reference previous incidents when Vinicius had been subject to racist abuse, adding: “There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. A stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens, always.”
It was a gobsmacking tirade. Just when the football world was turning to Mourinho, the elder statesman, for a strong response, he did what all populists do best… add fuel to the flames. Mourinho’s comments were something straight out of the Trump playbook.
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Jose Mourinho spoke out on Vinicius Jr. (Image: Getty)
The best-case scenario from this whole saga is that Mourinho, now into his sixties, was attempting to shield the much younger Prestianni. Even still, Prestianni is 20 years old, he should know what’s right and wrong, and if what has been accused turns out to be true, he should face whatever consequences come next.
But rather remarkably, above all else, it was his comments about Benfica as a club, specifically Eusebio, that reeked the most. Referencing the legendary Portuguese striker, without a hint of irony, Mourinho said: “The biggest legend at Benfica is Eusebio, so this club is not racist.”
Eusebio, who was born in Mozambique during Portugal’s colonial rule of the African nation, is said to have been discriminated against throughout his life. During his time at Benfica, it’s claimed the forward earned less than his white counterparts, despite being the club’s greatest player at the time.
Eusebio was understandably subject to interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, where the salaries on offer were much bigger. However, he was never granted a move, in part because of the influence of Portugal’s dictator, Antonio de Oliveira Salazar, who is said to have blocked a transfer abroad.
It’s hard to imagine Mourinho sitting across from the late, great Eusebio and telling his countryman how he should and shouldn’t have reacted to acts of alleged racism. Football needed Mourinho to speak up, instead, his usually defiant voice deserted him.
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