Real Madrid carry a slender 1-0 lead over Benfica going into the second leg of a Champions League playoff tie that has been overshadowed by allegations of racism.
UEFA has suspended Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni from the second leg on Wednesday after he was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, who scored the only goal in the first game in Lisbon last week.
Meanwhile, Benfica coach Jose Mourinho, who is also suspended for the second leg, has come under fire for criticising Vinicius for his effusive goal celebration.
So the Portuguese side will be expecting an especially hostile welcome at the Bernabeu as they try to overturn their one-goal deficit and reach the last 16.
Vinicius wrote that “racists are above all cowards” on social media after the game while Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe backed his teammate and said he had heard Prestianni calling the winger a “monkey”.
The 20-year-old Benfica midfielder, who hid his mouth with his shirt during the confrontation with Vinicius, insisted he did not racially abuse the Brazilian forward after his stunning goal at the Estadio da Luz.
Prestianni could miss at least 10 games if European football’s governing body finds he racially abused Vinicius.
Mourinho waded into the controversy by saying Vinicius’s goal celebration was disrespectful and insisting Benfica was not a racist club because their biggest icon, Eusebio, was Black.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said he disagreed with Mourinho’s words.
“At the end of the day, Mourinho is Mourinho. As a coach, you’re always, I think, going to defend your club and what your player has told you,” Courtois said.
“The only thing that disappoints me a bit is using Vini’s celebration. I don’t think Vini did anything wrong there,” he added.
“I don’t think we can justify alleged racism because of a celebration.”
Benfica’s boss has not set foot in the Santiago Bernabeu since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, and he cannot sit in the dugout for the playoff’s second leg after being sent off during his team’s 1-0 first-leg defeat in Lisbon last week for making vituperative complaints about the officials from the touchline.
Mourinho said referee Francois Letexier was avoiding booking Madrid players who were at risk of suspension for the second leg.
“I’ve had my butt on the bench for 1,400 games and [I could see that] he knew perfectly well who he could book and who he couldn’t,” Mourinho complained bitterly.
“I [won’t be] sitting on the bench. I can’t go to the dressing room. I can’t communicate with the team,” he added. “It’s hard for me, but my teammates and my assistants are there. They’ll do their job.”
Benfica also said Mourinho was not going to attend the pregame news conference on Tuesday and his assistant would take over.