Brazilian Star Speaks Out After Protocol Activation
Vinícius Júnior strongly condemned racists as “cowards” who “need to put their shirts in their mouth to demonstrate how weak they are” following alleged racist abuse during Real Madrid’s 1-0 Champions League victory over Benfica in Lisbon.
The incident occurred after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni celebrated the only goal of the match in the 50th minute. Vinícius ran to referee François Letexier claiming Prestianni had called him “mono” (monkey). Prestianni covered his mouth while speaking, but Kylian Mbappé later backed the accusation, stating he heard the word repeated five times.
The referee activated the anti-racism protocol, leading to a 10-minute delay. Vinícius appeared ready to walk off, with Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa confirming the team would have supported him. After discussions involving players, coaches and officials, both teams eventually resumed play.
Vinícius posted on social media: “Racists are above all cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have by their side the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish. A poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don’t like appearing in situations like this, especially after a great victory when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”
Mbappé and Arbeloa Back Vinícius
Kylian Mbappé was clear in his post-match comments: “Prestianni called Vinícius a monkey five times, I saw it. I cannot let things like this go. He’s a young player, how can you say things like that on a football pitch? We were going to go, that was the team’s decision. This type of person is no colleague, he shouldn’t play the Champions League again.”
Arbeloa added: “You have to ask the Benfica player what he said. We all deserve a response to that question. We have to be totally intolerant of racism; we cannot allow things like this to happen on the pitch in 2026. I have no reason not to believe Vinícius. Whatever he decided, we would have been at his side.”
Prestianni and Mourinho Respond
Prestianni denied the allegations on Instagram: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Benfica coach José Mourinho tried to stay balanced: “I spoke to Álvaro before I understood what the problem was… I want to try to be more balanced than Arbeloa and Mbappé. I do not want to say that Vinícius is a liar and nor do I want to say that my player is an incredible boy.”
The match eventually finished 1-0 to Real Madrid, but the racism allegations dominated the aftermath and reignited discussions about the effectiveness of anti-racism protocols in European football.
