Mikel Obi Slams Former Boss Jose Mourinho Over His Comments on Vinicius Jr Racism Incident
- Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has hit out at his former boss Jose Mourinho about his comments on Vinicius Jr's racism row
- Vinicius alleged that Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him during a UEFA Champions League match
- UEFA has launched an investigation into the incident and provisionally suspended the Argentine for the second leg match in Spain
- UK-based Nigerian journalist Rilwan Balogun agrees with Mikel Obi that Jose Mourinho's words lacked circumspection
Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has hit out at his former boss Jose Mourinho over the Portuguese manager’s comments about the alleged racism row during a UEFA Champions League match.
Real Madrid and Benfica clashed in the Round of 16 playoff first-leg match at Estádio da Luz on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, which the Spanish giants won 1-0.
Source: Getty Images
Vinicius Jr scored the winning goal for Madrid in the 50th minute, and his celebration sparked controversy, particularly with Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni.
The Brazilian attacker alleged that Prestianni racially abused him because of his celebration, which the midfielder denied, and it resulted in a booking for Vinicius.
According to The Athletic, after the match, Jose Mourinho said that Vinicius shouldn't have celebrated that way, and he has problems at every stadium he goes to.
Mikel Obi slams Jose Mourinho
Mourinho’s comments sparked reactions across the football world, and from his former player, Mikel Obi, who expressed disappointment in his boss’s words.
“He lost the game, you're not the coach of Benfica, you're not coming out to speak for Benfica, you're not coming out to speak for Jose Mourinho, you're coming out to represent because you're the coach of a Portuguese club, you're representing a country,” he said on the Obi One Podcast.
“It's beyond what just happened, it's beyond the game that just happened, it was a societal thing, you know what I expected to hear from my old boss, from my gaffer ‘yes it's under investigation, but there is no place for racism there, there's no place for such thing, let's wait until it's concluded.’
“So for him to come out and say ‘oh Vinicius Jr shouldn't have celebrated that way’ was a clumsy comment from Jose Mourinho.”
Mikel admitted that Mourinho is sensitive and would have realised his mistake, and he expects that at some point, he would come out and acknowledge it.
“He will be the first, he knows to know that he has messed up, that was a clumsy statement, he is a very smart guy. I don't know the reason why he hasn't apologised, but I expect him to come out and make a statement,” he added.
Source: Getty Images
“There's nobody who has played with Jose Mourinho that has a bad word to say about him, especially about racism, zero, absolutely zero. I know him, I'm still in contact, I know the guy… and I think that the statement he made is a massive mistake.”
Mourinho refused to speak at the pre-match conference ahead of the second leg, exercising his right to remain silent, sparking further controversy.
UK-based Nigerian journalist Rilwan Balogun agrees with Mikel Obi, claiming even though Mourinho was trying to defend his team, his words were clumsy.
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“Mourinho was trying to defend his club but in that act, he was being wrongly sentimental. Vinicius’ celebration didn’t break any law or rule. If it provoked the Benfica fans, it’s because they had racist potential too and chose that moment to insult the player,” he told Legit.ng.
“What the fans did is definitely indefensible and Mourinho, who has shown for many years to be a lover of black footballers, could have been more circumspect around a very delicate and tricky subject. He’s wrong. There are no two ways about it.”
UEFA suspends Gianluca Prestianni
Legit.ng reported that UEFA suspended Gianluca Prestianni for the Champions League Round of 16 playoff match between Real Madrid and Benfica.
The suspension is without prejudice pending the completion of the investigation after he allegedly racially abused Vinicius Jr in the first leg.
Source: Legit.ng
