*This content was translated by AI.
Coach Jose Mourinho (63) sent a warning to his promising student.
ESPN, which specializes in U.S. sports, strongly warned Gianluca Prestiani (Benfica), who is accused of making racist remarks toward Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time). It is an ultimatum that if convicted, there will be no place for him in Benfica," he reported.
The controversy came in the first round of the knockout playoff of the "2025-2026 UEFA Champions League" at Estadio Daruss in Lisbon, Portugal, on the 18th. In the fifth minute of the second half, Vinicius cut the net with a fantastic right foot shot and then moved toward the corner flag and performed a rather embarrassing dance ceremony.
Soon after, there was a violent altercation between Prestiani and Vinicius, and in the process, racism controversy erupted and the game was delayed by about 10 minutes.
Prestiani now strongly denies the allegations. However, he was temporarily suspended for one game by UEFA. As a result, he missed the second game against Real Madrid. Real Madrid, which defeated Benfica, advanced to the round of 16.
Currently, the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Investigators are continuing to review the case. If the charges are proven to be true, the level of disciplinary action could increase to a maximum of 10 games.
Mourinho was initially criticized for covering his player Prestiani, claiming that Vinicius stimulated the crowd with the goal ceremony.
However, Mourinho firmly drew the line in front of reporters on the 1st. "I am completely against any kind of discrimination or prejudice, ignorance or folly," he said.
"If my player didn't respect the principles of Benfica with me, his career would be over at a club called José Mourinho and Benfica," he said strongly.
However, Mourinho was wary of premature judgment until the final ruling came out. "I'm not a scholar, but I'm not an ignorant person," he said. "The presumption of innocence is a human right," he said. "If the player is really guilty, I won't look at him the same way I used to and it's over with me. But we have to put a lot of 'what if' in front of it," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
