Sunday Oliseh reacts to Mourinho’s comments on Vinicius-Prestianni altercation

Former Super Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh has weighed in on Jose Mourinho’s comments after Vinicius Jr allegedly suffered racial abuse, Afrik Foot reports.

The Brazilian scored in the 50th minute and celebrated by dancing in front of the Benfica fans at the corner flag.

However, his celebration was met with an opposing reaction from the home fans, as some of them issued racist boos. Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni then put his shirt over his lips and mouthed something towards Vinicius.

The 25-year-old ran towards the referee, who immediately called for the game to be paused in a bid to control the mayhem.

Jose Mourinho’s comments on Vinicius-Prestianni altercation

After the game, the Portuguese manager’s comments about the situation didn’t go down well with the public.

“I told [Vinicius Jnr], when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and walk back. They [Vinicius Jr and Prestianni] told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or another. I want to be independent,” the former Real Madrid coach said in quotes revealed by Sky Sports.

“When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person [Eusebio] in the history of this club was black.

“This club, the last thing that it is, is racist.

“There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. A stadium where Vinicius plays something happens, always,” Mourinho concluded.

Mourinho was given a red card in the game and, as such, couldn’t be on the touchline for the return leg as Real Madrid sealed a 2-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Sunday Oliseh reacts to Mourinho’s comments

While Mourinho’s reaction insinuated that Vinicius was calling for it, Oliseh could not believe that a man he had huge admiration for could make such comments.

“I was waiting to see what the authorities would do. I enjoy watching Jose Mourinho, and I have a lot of respect for him because he’s managed a lot of African players, and he showed a lot of empathy towards Africans,” the former Super Eagles captain said on the Sunday Oliseh Global Insight show.

“Notwithstanding, when I heard the comments he made, I had to sit because no one knows how painful it is to suffer racism except for the victim who feels most of the pain.

“For someone like him to make that statement, he means there are no racists in Portugal because Eusebio came and washed their sins away.

“I was and am extremely disappointed, but I’m still waiting on the authorities. When a player puts a jersey on his mouth to say something, he’s not just calling anyone an idiot; he knows what he did.

“In the world, you can be sentenced to prison for verbal abuse, but when it comes to racism, it’s not so; it’s very degrading. Until they sentence people, it won’t stop,” the former Juventus midfielder opined.

Real Madrid will play against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen.