Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, manager of Benfica, confirmed that the career of Argentine midfielder Gianluca Brestiani under his leadership will end immediately if he is formally convicted of racism.
The incident dates back to the accusation by Brazilian Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid striker, that a Brescia player directed racist insults at him during the first leg of the Champions League play-off, which took place in Lisbon on February 17.
In his remarks on Sunday, Mourinho emphasized his commitment to the principles he and the club believe in, explaining that if the player is found to have disrespected these principles, his time with the team will end. Mourinho stated decisively: “If that is proven, his time with me is over.”.
Prestini is currently under investigation by UEFA, despite his firm denial of any racist abuse. These allegations led to his provisional suspension for the second leg, which Real Madrid won 2-1, securing their qualification for the next round.
The disciplinary regulations state that if the charge of racial abuse against Vinicius is proven, Prestini will face a suspension of no less than ten matches.
The 63-year-old coach pointed out that “the presumption of innocence is a guaranteed right,” adding that if guilt is proven, the player will never be viewed in the same way as before, stressing the need to set strict conditions before making any final judgment.
In a related context, Mourinho has faced previous criticism for comments that were interpreted as suggesting that Vinicius's dancing celebration after scoring the winning goal provoked the alleged abuse.
