Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany has attacked Benfica manager Jose Mourinho over his reaction to the racist abuse Vinicius Junior suffered during the Portuguese club’s Champions League match against Real Madrid.
Mourinho had been attacking Vinicius, claiming he was a troublemaker in every stadium he played in, a move Kompany sees as a major blunder by the Special One, who should have defended the player instead of trying to justify what happened.
In the pre-match press conference before Bayern Munich’s game against Eintracht Frankfurt, Kompany said, “After the game, you have a captain, Jose Mourinho, who attacked Vinicius Junior’s character, using his celebration to downplay what he was going through at that moment. From a leadership perspective, that’s a huge mistake, and something we shouldn’t accept.”
He added, “And today, his name is being used to send a message against Vinicius Junior, who is finally in a position to speak out. There are still many players in various European leagues who don’t have a voice.”
He continued, “When I think of Mourinho, his celebrations and his kneeling at Old Trafford, or his celebration in front of the Barcelona fans, or what happened in the Roma-Sevilla match when the referees had to leave the country under protection… if Mourinho had been subjected to racist abuse in any of those moments, I would have wished we would all have said: Stop. It doesn’t matter what the celebration is; let’s listen to what he has to say and uphold the fundamental principles.”
He concluded, “The problem isn’t just the incident itself, but everything that happens afterward. These things leave a deep mark and can later lead to fewer opportunities because you are gradually pushed to the margins. Instead of coming together, people are categorized and put into stereotypes, and we drift further apart.”
