Real Madrid’s Courtois Criticizes Mourinho’s Remarks About Vini

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has spoken out against Jose Mourinho for his remarks about Vinicius Junior after an incident of alleged racial abuse by Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni.

During last week’s UEFA Champions League play-off, the match was paused when Vinicius informed referee François Letexier about the situation.

UEFA has issued a provisional one-match suspension to Prestianni while they investigate, meaning he will miss the second leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Prestianni reportedly called Vinicius a ‘monkey’ in Spanish, though he claims he used a homophobic slur instead.

“It seems he said it, and that’s just as serious,” Courtois stated at a press conference. “Homophobic insults are unacceptable, just like what happened in the stands in Lisbon. A player might annoy you, but gestures like that are shameful. Racism and homophobia are both wrong.”

Courtois believes that while football’s anti-racism measures are improving, racist behavior from fans in the stands should lead to a halt in the game.

“Ultimately, it’s up to Vinicius to decide whether the match continues,” he said. “If he says no, we’d think about leaving. UEFA takes it from there.

“But as for the stands? That’s a valid reason to stop the match and remove those responsible. Players shouldn’t have to witness that; it’s the officials’ job to act, and authorities should step in. We need to stop being foolish as a society.”

Courtois criticizes Mourinho over comments about Vinicius Jr.

Courtois also disagreed with Mourinho’s claim that Vinicius was partly to blame for celebrating his winning goal excessively.

The Belgium international remarked: “Mourinho is Mourinho. As a coach, you always stand by your club and your players. What upsets me is using Vinicius’ celebration as an excuse.

“Vinicius did nothing wrong; he celebrated like any player would against us. Scoring against Real Madrid usually draws a bigger reaction. We need to move forward, but a celebration cannot justify alleged racism.”