Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has said that anyone in football found guilty of racism “should not play in the match” after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior was allegedly racially abused during a Champions League match.
Play in Tuesday’s match between Real Madrid and Benfica was stopped for 10 minutes after the Spanish giants’ striker Vinicius told the referee that the hosts’ Gianluca Prestianni had called him a ‘monkey’ during a confrontation.
The Argentina midfielder, who covered his mouth during the row after Vinicius celebrated a goal while dancing in front of home fans during the first leg of a play-off knockout stage, denies the accusation.
European football’s governing body UEFA announced on Wednesday it would investigate «allegations of discriminatory behaviour», with Brazilian star Vinicius repeatedly subjected to racist abuse since joining Real in 2018.
Although Rosenior did not comment directly on the case, he urged football authorities to take stronger action against racism.
“It’s disturbing,” he said Thursday. “There needs to be context in terms of this situation. What I am saying is: any form of racism in society is unacceptable. I cannot speak about an incident that is under investigation.
Also read | Real Madrid sends UEFA ‘available evidence’ of alleged racist insult against Vinicius Junior
«What I would say is if you see a player angry in the way Vinicius Junior was angry, normally he is angry for a reason. I have been called racist names myself.»
Rosenior, who is of mixed descent, added: «If a coach, player or manager is ever found guilty of racism, they should not be allowed to play in the game. It’s that simple for me.»
Rosenior wrote an open letter to US President Donald Trump in June 2020 in the days following the killing by a police officer of George Floyd in Minneapolis, an event that inspired the global Black Lives Matter movement.
In it, he referred to “an unjust, corrupt and fundamentally biased society” in America that was part of a centuries-old legacy of racism.
During last week’s FA Cup match against Hull, home fans chanted homophobic slurs at Chelsea fans.
Rosenior said on Saturday ahead of Chelsea’s match at home to Burnley in the Premier League: “Many things need to change in our society.
«I’m not talking about football. There is a lot of division. There are a lot of people in the media who make prejudices about people based on sexual orientation, what country they come from, what religion they have, what skin color they have.»
«It makes me sick, to be honest. It’s a wider debate than just football. People need to be held much more accountable than in terms of social media, in terms of the press, to make sure these things are eradicated.»
Published on February 19, 2026
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