Can anyone even remember the score from the first leg? Real Madrid and Benfica lock horns again tonight but football is the furthest thing from everyone’s mind.
Real are in fact 1-0 up but Vinicius Jr’s goal and any sporting narrative have been obliterated in the last week after the storm of controversy surrounding the tie.
It was the Brazilian who found himself at the centre of the fallout after he said he was subjected to racist abuse from Benfica star Gianluca Prestianni, a claim backed up by team-mates – with Kylian Mbappe insisting he heard a ‘monkey slur’ five times.
Jose Mourinho and the Portuguese side were defiant, with the veteran manager suggesting Vinicius Jr incited the crowd with his celebration and citing black Benfica legend Eusebio as evidence that the Portuguese side are not racist.
The manager was widely accused of ‘gaslighting’ for his comments, with a number of former players he managed weighing in eloquently with criticism after the ugly incident.
It makes tonight’s return fixture in Spain’s capital the most combustible game of the season – a place in the Champions League last-16 is up for grabs but battle lines have been drawn beyond a football match.
Jose Mourinho and Vinicius Jr are pictured during a heated exchange in Benfica’s first leg against Real Madrid last week when an alleged racist incident is said to have taken place
The atmosphere in the Bernabeu will be red hot and if a week is a long time in politics, it’s even longer in football, so it’s worth a run down of the dark story that’s dominated the sport since last Tuesday.
The incident itself took place in the wake of Vinicius Jr’s brilliant goal in the 50th minute. He celebrated by dancing by the corner flag in front of the home supporters after putting the 15-time champions ahead.
And as he walked back to the centre-circle ahead of the restart, the Brazilian forward was incensed by something said to him by Benfica’s Argentine winger Prestianni, who held his shirt over his mouth while speaking to him so cameras could not pick up what he said.
Vinicius Jr promptly told the referee of the allegations and left the field, refusing to return. This resulted in a stoppage in play that lasted 10 minutes, after the referee paused the game in line with UEFA regulations but it appeared at one stage that the first leg in Lisbon would not be able to continue.
During the scenes, Real’s No 7 was also in discussions with Mourinho but speaking post-match the Benfica boss – who was sent off late on for angrily protesting that the 25-year-old should have received a second booking over a separate incident.
Prestianni will play no part in the game tonight having been handed a provisional one-match ban from UEFA competition, as European football’s governing body continues to investigate allegations of racial abuse.
The Argentinian insisted his opponent ‘misinterpreted what he thinks he heard’.
He has since given evidence to the investigation, telling UEFA chiefs that he did not say ‘mono’ – Spanish for ‘monkey’ – but instead directed a homophobic slur towards Vinicius Jr.
Gianluca Prestianni is accused of calling Vinicius Jr a ‘monkey’ and has been provisionally banned
The 20-year-old (centre) travelled to Madrid with the squad despite his ban and was greeted warmly by crowds
The 20-year-old says he used the word ‘maricon’, Spanish for ‘f****t’, in response to being taunted about his height.
Standing at 5ft 5in, Prestianni is among the shortest players in the Champions League and, according to The Times, his main defence is that he acted in retaliation after Vinicius referred to him as a dwarf.
Both racist and homophobic abuse are breaches of Article 14 of UEFA’s disciplinary rules, meaning Prestianni could be set for a lengthy ban regardless of whether his defence is believed.
Taunts about a player’s physical appearance, such as height, weight and baldness, are not covered by the regulations.
Prestianni took to social media to defend himself and deny the accusations after the game, writing: ‘I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to player Vinicius Junior, 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.’
Later, on X, Prestianni questioned what he felt was a subdued initial reaction from Vinicius’s team-mates, given the gravity of the accusation levelled against him. He also explained why he raised his shirt over his mouth.
‘If they keep saying that SUPPOSEDLY I made a racist comment to Vinicius Junior, then why didn’t any of them react?’ he asked. ‘Accusing someone of something serious isn’t right, and even less so when it’s not true.
Mourinho was keen to discuss how Vinicius Jr’s celebrations might have drawn ire from supporters and opposition and was accused of ‘gaslighting’
‘And everyone pointing fingers at me for covering up with my shirt when they know that all soccer players cover their mouths to talk. Don’t try to make up more.’
Benfica are furious that UEFA have suspended their player before the investigation has been completed and it is believed the governing body feared a high-profile clash involving Prestianni on the pitch tonight.
There were fears that there would be a snubbed handshake prior to kick-off, in a similar controversy that arose when Luis Suarez refused to shake Patrice Evra’s hand when Liverpool travelled to Manchester United in the Premier League in 2012.
That game came after Suarez had served an eight-match ban after being charged by the FA for racially abusing Evra at Anfield. He was also fined £40,000.
Reports in Spain state that UEFA fear it would be damaging for a similar incident to occur between Vinicius and Prestianni, and have now broken tradition to hand the Benfica man a provisional ban as they continue their investigation.
But Benfica president Rui Costa issued a defiant message and Prestianni is travelling to the match anyway, having been given a warm ovation from fans on the way out at Lisbon airport.
Costa fumed: ‘Nothing is proven and the player’s absence from this game is not justified. Prestianni is being labeled a racist, but he’s anything but racist. I can guarantee that.’
It was the response to the allegations made by Vinicius Jr that has enraged and saddened much of the football world since last week, particularly that of Mourinho.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the match, Mourinho said: ‘It should be the crazy moment of the game, an amazing goal in a good game… these talents are able to do these beautiful things but unfortunately he [Vinicius] was not just happy to score that astonishing goal and then the game was over. When you score a goal like that you celebrate in a respectful way.’
When asked if Vinicius had ‘incited’ Benfica’s players and fans with his exuberant celebration, Mourinho said: ‘Yeah, I believe so. The words they exchange, Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent. I don’t comment about it.
‘When he was arguing about racism I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was black [Eusebio]. This club, the last thing it is is racist, so if in his mind it was something in relation to that, this is Benfica.
‘There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium that Vinicius plays [in] something happens. Always.’
Mourinho has never been a stranger to controversy but for many his bullish defence in the face of racism accusations against his player were beyond the pale.
Kick It Out unequivocally condemned Mourinho’s comments, insisting that those who ‘focus on Vinicius Jr’s celebration’ are ‘gaslighting’ the situation.
The charity said on X: ‘When anyone reports discrimination in football, or anywhere, the first priority is that they are listened to and feel supported.
‘Focusing on Vinicius Jr’s goal celebration or the history of the club, instead of acknowledging the report, is a form of gaslighting.
John Obi Mikel, who has a close relationship with Mourinho after playing under him at Chelsea, said he expects his old boss to come out and apologise for making ‘a huge mistake’.
Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, he said: ‘What I expected to hear from my old boss, from my gaffer [was] “Yes it is under investigation, but there is not place for racism there, there is no place for such thing, but let’s wait until it is concluded, there is no place for that”.
‘So for him to come out and say “Oh yeah, Vinicius Jr shouldn’t have celebrated the way he did”, that was a clumsy, clumsy comment from Jose Mourinho.
The incident occurred moments after Vinicius Jr scored the only goal of the first leg in Lisbon
Prestianni is pictured in Benfica training at the Bernabeu even though he has been banned
‘He will be the first, he knows, he will be the first to know “I’ve f***ed up here”. He is a smart, smart guy, a very smart guy, he knows.’
Mikel added: ‘I don’t know the reason why he hasn’t apologised, but I expect him to come out at some point and make a statement.
‘There is nobody who has played with Jose Mourinho that has a bad word to say about him, especially when it comes to racism, especially, zero, absolutely zero.’
‘He will be the first to say “I f***ed up, it was after the game, emotions were running high, I didn’t think about my statement, I didn’t think about what I was going to say”.
‘He is an experienced manager, he is a smart guy, he knows what he should have said. The statement that he made is a massive, massive, huge mistake.’
That sentiment was echoed by a number of other pundits and former players in the media.
On CBS Sport, Micah Richards said: ‘Mourinho is someone who I absolutely love as a coach, and he could have talked about something different. He’s trying to deflect, and I expect better from him, because he’s a powerful person in the sport.
‘A lot of people listen to what he says and Jamie’s right, hypocrisy from him, talking about Vini Jr when he celebrates exactly how he wants. I just feel a little bit let down.’
And Thierry Henry was disgusted by Mourinho’s comments, adding: ‘Mourinho, as a coach, wanted to deflect discussion. As soon as we came back, what did we discuss? The celebration? Who cares. I want to know what Prestianni said. That’s when game stopped. The game didn’t stop because of the celebration. The game stopped because of what Prestianni apparently said.
‘What he did, he did what coaches do, at the end of games. He made sure we don’t talk about what he (doesn’t want) to talk about. The only time the game stopped – and the spectacle stopped – is because of what apparently Prestianni said’.
Presenter Kate Abdo also compared Mourinho’s statement about Eusebio being a club legend to someone saying: ‘I have black friends, I can’t be racist’.
Mourinho chose not to speak to the media ahead of tonight’s return leg.
Rio Ferdinand is one former player who came to the manager’s defence, speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, saying: ‘I think Jose, in time, will sit there and go, “Maybe I approached that wrong.”
‘And it doesn’t make Jose Mourinho a racist by the way.
‘I think Jose Mourinho has done enough for black footballers from all over the world, who look at him like a father figure, to suggest that the guy hasn’t got a racist bone in his body.
‘I just think he approached this situation, unfortunately, wrong.’
Mourinho was later red carded for seemingly calling for Vinicius Jr to be sent off for a foul
Having been sent off last week, Mourinho is not obliged to address the media due to his touchline ban under UEFA rules and has opted against speaking at a pre-match press conference.
Mourinho’s assistant Joao Tralhao will instead take his place at both the pre and post-match press conferences.
All eyes will be on the Benfica boss and Vinicius Jr tonight. The Brazilian has been subjected to racist abuse on multiple occasions during his time at Real and released a statement in the wake of his accusation of Prestianni last week.
He said: ‘They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are.
‘But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them’.
‘Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why.
‘On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.
‘I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary’.
He will have to try to put the controversy aside for 90 minutes and fire his side into the Champions League knockouts. Real could be without Kylian Mbappe, who has been playing through a leg injury in recent weeks.
After the ugly scenes in the first leg and painful fallout that followed, it would be a merciful relief for football to return to the fore tonight.
But given the last seven days of a row that has enveloped the game, it seems as though a storm is brewing that could again end in chaos tonight.
