Vincent Kompany blasts Jose Mourinho over ‘unacceptable’ Vinicius Jnr comments

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany has delivered a scathing response to comments made by Jose Mourinho following the alleged racial abuse of Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid’s Champions League victory over Benfica.

Vinicius netted the decisive goal in Madrid’s 1-0 win but was shown a yellow card for his celebration. The encounter was temporarily suspended after the Brazilian reported alleged racist remarks from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who has denied the accusation. UEFA has since opened an investigation into the matter.

Mourinho, who was dismissed late in the contest for protesting a refereeing decision, labelled Vinicius’ celebration “disrespectful” and pointed to club icon Eusebio as evidence that Benfica cannot be described as a racist institution.

Kompany, speaking ahead of Bayern’s Bundesliga fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt, described Mourinho’s remarks as a “huge mistake” and “unacceptable,” arguing they undermined the seriousness of the allegation and shifted attention away from the core issue.

“Do you know what Black players had to go through in the 1960s? Was he (Mourinho) there to travel with Eusebio to every away game?” Kompany asked.

Drawing from his own experiences with racial abuse during his playing career, Kompany insisted that scrutiny of Vinicius’ celebration should not overshadow the gravity of the alleged incident.

He also referenced several of Mourinho’s own touchline celebrations over the years — from knee slides at Old Trafford to confrontations during high-stakes European matches — suggesting the Portuguese coach’s criticism lacked balance.

Kompany was, however, careful not to turn the disagreement into a personal attack.

“I’m just thinking when Jose Mourinho is doing the knee slide at Old Trafford, when he does his celebration in front of the [Barcelona] fans in the Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan, when his Roma are playing Sevilla, and he is fighting with the referee and the referee has to leave the country under protection,” he added.

“I know one hundred people who have worked with Jose Mourinho. I’ve never heard a person say anything bad about Jose. I understand he is fighting for his team and his club. You cannot be a bad person and have all the ex-players you have talked so positively about.

“I don’t need to judge him as a person, but I know what I’ve heard. And I understand maybe what he has done, but he has made a mistake.”

Both UEFA and FIFA have publicly condemned acts of racism, reiterating their zero-tolerance stance as the investigation continues.