Trent Alexander-Arnold said alleged racist abuse against teammate Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid’s Champions League match at Benfica was a “disgrace to football”, while opposition manager José Mourinho was criticized for his comments on the incident.
The match was suspended for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported alleged racist abuse from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni to referee François Letexier, and he and his teammates temporarily left the field.
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The Brazilian striker, who was the victim of numerous incidents of racist abuse during his playing career, said “racists are first and foremost cowards” in a post on his Instagram.
Benfica manager Mourinho claimed Vinicius did not “celebrate in a respectful way” after his superb goal in the 1-0 win preceding the incident at the Estadio da Luz.
The former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager said: “There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium.
“In a stadium where Vinicius plays, there is always something happening.”
Reacting to Mourinho’s comments, former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf said on Amazon Prime: “I think he’s still emotional. I think he made a big mistake today in justifying the racial abuse.
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“He says it’s okay to be racist when Vinicius provokes you – and I think that’s very wrong.
“We should never justify racial abuse. Vinicius is fed up with this unjustified behavior from people. I know Mourinho by heart would agree with me but he spoke out a little unfortunately, I think.”
England international Alexander-Arnold condemned the incident in his post-match interview.
“I think what happened tonight is a disgrace to football and overshadowed the performance, as well as an incredible goal,” Alexander-Arnold said.
“Vini has been a victim of this many times during his career. To ruin a night like this for our team is a shame.
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“There is no place for this in football or in society. It’s disgusting.”
What did Mourinho say?
Vinicius’ goal gave Real Madrid a 1-0 victory in the first leg of the Champions League knockout stage play-off (Getty Images)
Mourinho was seen speaking with Vinicius after the 25-year-old made the decision to leave the pitch following the interaction with Prestianni.
The Portuguese said in his post-match interview that Vinicius and Prestianni told him different things regarding the incident.
As well as expressing his belief that Vinicius had been disrespectful during his celebration, he cited the club’s legendary striker Eusebio as proof that Benfica is not a racist club.
Asked if he thought Vinicius had incited the crowd, Mourinho replied: “Yes. I believe so.
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“That should be the crazy moment of the match, an incredible goal. Unfortunately (he was) not just happy to score this amazing goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
He added: “I said (to Vinicius) that when you score a goal like that you just celebrate and go back. When he was talking about racism, I told him that the greatest person in the history of this club was black.
“This club, the last thing it is, is racist. If there was anything on his mind about that, it’s Benfica.
“They (Vinicius and Prestianni) told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or the other. I want to be independent.”
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Speaking after watching Mourinho’s interview, former England international Theo Walcott told Amazon Prime: “I’m quite calm and collected and I’m not someone who gets angry a lot.
“I love everything Jose Mourinho has done in football, but I think he made a bad decision in that sense. Maybe it was the only time we shouldn’t have heard from him, the night he shouldn’t have been in front of the cameras.”
What happens next?
Vinicius’ Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappe has called for Argentina winger Prestianni to no longer be allowed to play in the Champions League following the alleged incident.
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“Nothing like this has ever happened to me, and in these kinds of important subjects it is important to speak very clearly and not to speak in generalities,” said French striker Mbappé.
“I have the greatest respect for Benfica and their coach, who is one of the best in history and who made history with Real Madrid. But, in my opinion, this player no longer deserves to play in the Champions League.
“We can’t accept that a player who plays in Europe’s biggest competition behaves like this. This guy doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League anymore, but we’ll see what happens.
“Let’s leave it to UEFA, who always try to do something. Now they have a serious case and I hope they will do something.”
Vinicius alerted referee François Letexier to allegations of racist abuse from Gianluca Prestianni at the start of the second half (Getty Images)
With the two clubs due to meet in the second leg in Madrid next Wednesday, Walcott called on UEFA for urgent action.
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“This is something that can’t be done in months and months, it needs to be addressed immediately,” Walcott said.
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, speaking on CBS, reflected on his own experiences of racist abuse during his playing career.
“I can understand what Vinicius Junior is going through. It’s happened to me so many times on the pitch. Sometimes you feel alone because it will be your word against his word, because we don’t know what he said,” Henry said.
“He put his shirt over his mouth. Clearly, already, he looks suspicious because he didn’t want people to see what he was saying.
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“Let’s see what a man Prestianni is – tell us what you said.”
