Racism: John Obi Mikel rebukes José Mourinho after the Vinícius controversy
The former captain of the Super Eagles, John Obi Mikel, deemed José Mourinho’s remarks about the Vinícius Júnior affair “ill-judged,” saying the Portuguese coach should have taken a stronger stance against racism.
The former Nigeria captain, John Obi Mikel, did not mince his words toward José Mourinho after the controversy that arose during the first leg of the Champions League playoff between SL Benfica and Real Madrid. At the heart of the controversy: Vinícius Júnior’s claims that he was called a “monkey” by Gianluca Prestianni during the match. An issue that quickly drew significant media attention.
After the match, Mourinho had said that the Madrid winger had provoked the crowd with his celebrations, while recalling that Benfica from the Eusébio era would not be associated with racist behavior. Those remarks did not convince Mikel. On his Obi One podcast, the former Chelsea FC midfielder, who played under the Portuguese coach on two occasions, expressed his disappointment:
What I expected to hear from my former boss, from my coach, was: “Yes, an investigation is ongoing, but racism has no place here, there is no room for such a thing. Let’s wait for the end of the investigation, but there is no room for that.” Before adding, more directly: “When he said: “Oh yes, Vinícius Jr shouldn’t have celebrated the way he did,” that was a really clumsy remark from José Mourinho.
Mikel nevertheless concluded, leaving the door open: “He will be the first, he knows it, to acknowledge: “I messed up.” He’s a smart guy, very smart, he knows it.” A new chapter in a sensitive case where every statement is scrutinized closely.
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