Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany, has publicly addressed the controversy following the alleged racist insult by Gianluca Prestianni towards Vinicius Jr. during the UEFA Champions League play-off match between Real Madrid and SL Benfica.
The game ended in a narrow victory for the Spanish heavyweights thanks to a goal from the Brazilian. But what happened after that has dominated the headlines as the Real Madrid ace was allegedly called a ‘mon*ey* by the Benfica youngster.
Kompany opines
Now, Kompany has given his take on what went down at Estadio da Luz, describing the situation as complex, while calling for the events to be analysed with perspective.
“It’s a difficult issue. I watched the match and it really intrigued me. There are different components to the story,” the Bayern Munich boss said at a press conference.
“First, what happened on the pitch; second, what happened with the fans. And then there’s what happened after the match. We need to separate them,” he added.
The former Manchester City captain did not hesitate to defend the reaction of the Real Madrid winger.
“When you look at the action itself and how Vini reacted, that reaction cannot be faked. You can see that it was an emotional reaction,” Kompany stated.
“I do not see any benefit for him in going to the referee and carrying all that misery on his shoulders. In that moment he saw that it was the right thing to do.”
Regarding the behaviour of Kylian Mbappe, he added: “Kylian Mbappe is usually diplomatic, but he was very clear about what he saw and heard.
“Then there is the Benfica player who was hiding what he was saying behind his shirt. In the stadium you can see that there were people making monkey gestures; it is in the video.”
Kompany criticises Mourinho
Kompany criticised Mourinho’s comments. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
However, for Kompany the most serious aspect occurred after the final whistle. In particular, he referred to comments made by Benfica manager Jose Mourinho.
“For me, what happened afterwards is even worse. Jose Mourinho basically attacked Vini’s character by mentioning his type of celebration to discredit what he was doing at that moment. It was a huge mistake in terms of leadership,” said the Bayern coach.
He also criticised Mourinho for mentioning Benfica legend Eusebio in an attempt to downplay what had happened with Vinicius.
“He said that Benfica cannot be racist because their greatest player of all time was Eusebio,” said Kompany.
“Does he know what black players had to go through in the 1960s? Was he there travelling with Eusebio to every away match to see what he suffered? To use his name today to argue against Vini…”
Nevertheless, Kompany sought to put his stance towards the Portuguese coach into context.
“Honestly, I do not see my place in many of the things that are happening today, so I do not want to be part of one group or another. I have met 100 people who worked with José Mourinho. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about Jose,” he said.
“All his players love him. I understand the person he is, I understand that he fights for his club. I know that, deep down, he is a good person. I do not need to judge him for that,” added the former Burnley manager.
However, Kompany made it clear that, in his view, Mourinho did not act as he should have.
“I know what I have heard. I understand what he has done, but he made a mistake. I hope it does not happen again in the future and that we can move forward together,” he concluded.
Source: AS