Vinicius Junior has once again been the victim of alleged racist abuse and Jose Mourinho's controversial response has shocked the football world. The Real Madrid star was involved in an ugly incident during a 1-0 win over Benfica on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old scored the winner at the Estadio da Luz in the Champions League playoff first-leg between the two sides. He celebrated with a dance in the corner and this was met with anger from the home fans and Benfica players.
Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt before aiming an insult at Vinicius. The Brazilian hurried over to the referee to inform him that Prestianni had called him a "monkey."
Vinicius 'very angry' with Jose Mourinho
Mourinho was seen in an exchange with Vinicius on the touchline before Kylian Mbappe interrupted and gave the Portuguese coach his thoughts. It was what the former Madrid boss said after the game that caused even more controversy.
The Portuguese suggested Vinicius provoked Benfica with his celebrations. He said: "Vini Jr. provoked the fans? In how many stadiums has this happened? He’s an incredible player, I love him but when you score a goal like this, celebrate with your teammates."
Mourinho also used Eusebio as an example of why Benfica aren't a racist club because the black Portuguese footballing icon was their "greatest ever player." It was a strange way to assess the situation and didn't go down well with nearly everyone in the football world.
According to El Chiringuito TV (via Madrid Zone), Vinicius is "very angry" with Mourinho. He was "shocked" by the Benfica manager's post-match comments and felt they were "sort of a justification for unacceptable racist abuse."
Mourinho has yet to explain his comments or reaffirm his stance since and his hypocrisy has been pointed out by many. Jamie Carragher highlighted how he's spent his entire managerial career riling up the opposition with celebrations.
The 63-year-old has a highlight reel of provoking fans and opposition players and staff. He has been seen cupping his hand to his ears, running the length of the touchline and pointing to the heavens directly in front of rivals.
UEFA are investigating the incident that occurred between Prestianni and Vinicius. Many, including Mbappe, have called for the Argentine to be banned from the Champions League.
Vinicius dropped a lengthy statement on his social media following the abuse he received. He said that racists are nothing more than cowards and Madrid have supported their Brazilian during the racism row.