Kompany criticizes Mourinho for the comments about Vinicius racism

Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany delivered scathing criticism of Jose Mourinho’s handling of racist allegations involving Vinicius Jr. of Real Madrid was involved, calling the Benfica coach’s comments a «major mistake» in leadership.

TV footage showed Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni covering his mouth with his shirt – a common move by players or coaches to prevent anyone from reading their lips – as he made a comment that Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as a racial slur.

Although Benfica defended its winger, European football body UEFA is investigating allegations of discriminatory behavior during the first leg of the Champions League, which Real won 1-0 thanks to a Vinicius goal.

Mourinho said Vinicius had incited the crowd by celebrating his goals, while adding that the club was anything but racist because Eusebio, the Portuguese team’s biggest player, was also black.

«Jose Mourinho is in fact attacking the character of Vinicius Jr. by introducing a kind of celebration that discredits Vinicius’ activities. For me, in terms of leadership, it is a big mistake. It is something that we should not accept,» Kompany told reporters in a 12-minute response in support of Vinicius.

«Moreover, he mentions the name Eusebio – to say that Benfica cannot be racist because the best player in the history of Benfica is Eusebio. Do you know what black players had to go through in the 1960s? Was he there to travel with Eusebio to (to) every away match?»

READ ALSO: Real Madrid sends UEFA ‘available evidence’ of alleged racist insult against Vinicius Junior

«My father is a black man from the 1960s who also made his way. Probably the only option they had at the time was to be quiet, say nothing, be above it all and be ten times better to get a little credit.»

Kompany described incidents of racism during his own career, including when he was captain of the Belgian national team.

He also said he had met ‘a hundred people’ who worked with Mourinho and had nothing bad to say about him, but that the Portuguese manager had made a big mistake on this occasion despite fighting to defend his club.

«So I know he’s a good person, I don’t have to judge him as a person. But I know what I heard and I understand maybe what he did. He made a mistake and it’s something that hopefully won’t happen like this again in the future,» he said.

Published on February 20, 2026