Man Utd icon Rio Ferdinand defends Jose Mourinho over Vini Jr racism storm | Football | Sport
Prestianni, who has been suspended by UEFA for the second-leg but could face a ten-match ban, has refuted claims he called Vinicius a “monkey” in Spanish. Reflecting on Mourinho’s post-match remarks, Ferdinand acknowledged the three-time Premier League champion adopted the wrong strategy.
Nevertheless, he maintained Mourinho is not a racist person. Speaking on his YouTube programme Rio Ferdinand Presents, the former United defender said: “I think Jose, in time, will sit there and go, ‘Maybe I approached that wrong.’ And it doesn’t make Jose Mourinho a racist by the way.
“I think Jose Mourinho has done enough for black footballers from all over the world, who look at him like a father figure, to suggest that the guy hasn’t got a racist bone in his body. I just think he approached this situation, unfortunately, wrong. I’d love to hear what his thoughts are on it now, actually, since all of it spilled over from those comments.”
Ferdinand was referring to Mourinho’s remarks shortly after his former team defeated Benfica 1-0 at the Estadio Da Luz. When questioned if he believed Vinicius incited the crowd, Mourinho responded: “Yes. I believe so. It should be the crazy moment of the game, an amazing goal. Unfortunately [he was] not just happy to score that astonishing goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
In a statement detailing their response to Prestianni, UEFA wrote: “Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour.
“This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies. Further information about this matter will be made available in due course.”
Prestianni has already taken to social media to refute allegations of racism, saying: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at the player Vinicius Junior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he heard. I have never been racist and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
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