Vincent Kompany criticises Mourinho over Eusebio reference in Vinicius case

Vincent Kompany called the episode a difficult topic after watching the game, saying there are two components: what happened on the pitch and what happened with the fans, plus what followed afterwards, and that those elements need to be separated. He described Vinicius Jr’s reaction as emotional and genuine, saying there was no benefit for him to put the referee under that burden.

Kompany added that Kylian Mbappe was clear about what he saw and heard, noted a Benfica player hiding comments in his shirt, and said people in the stadium were making monkey signs. Kompany said Jose Mourinho had attacked Vini Jr’s character by invoking the player’s celebration to discredit him, calling that a leadership mistake.

He also criticised Mourinho for mentioning Eusebio to argue Benfica cannot be racist, questioning whether anyone could know what black players endured in the 1960s and whether Mourinho had witnessed those experiences.

vincent kompany, jose mourinho, vinicius jr, eusebio, benfica, racism, monkey signs, kylian mbappe, referee, celebration