Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho says managing everything that happened in his team’s game against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League hasn’t been easy.
He added that it hasn’t been easy managing everything that continues to happen after the game that had Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr allegedly racially abused.
Vinicius reported to the game official that Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him during the game; this was a claim supported by Vinicius’ teammate Kylian Mbappe but Prestianni has denied racially abusing Vinicius. (Click highlighted text to read full story)
For Mourinho, who has been heavily criticized for insinuating that Vinicius Jr’s celebration instigated the racial abuse, the aftermath of the incident hasn’t been easy to manage.
“The game was truly demanding, in every aspect. Until the 50th minute, it was a game of maximum intensity, both physically and tactically, requiring the concentration needed to play a game of that level.”
“I also have to acknowledge that from the 50th minute until now — and this won’t end our conversation — it hasn’t been easy to manage emotionally everything that has happened and continues to happen” Mourinho said according to ESPN.
Real Madrid play Benfica in the return leg on Wednesday, February 25 in Spain.
