Former Barcelona, Juventus and France defender Lilian Thuram has slammed Jose Mourinho and the football authorities for their handling of allegations of racism against Vinicius Junior. Thuram works as an anti-racism activist in football, focusing his efforts on racism and sexism.
Real Madrid announced on Thursday that they were cooperating closely with UEFA in their investigation into allegations of racial abuse, after Vinicius Junior said that Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni called him a monkey. The game was halted for about 10 minutes before it resumed, after anti-racism protocol came into effect.
The words of Mbappe and Vinicius should be enough – Thuram
Thuram, who wrote a book about racism in football and was part of the French team that won the World Cup in 1998 amid a climate of racism, declared that the testimony of Thuram and Vinicius should be sufficient evidence.
“It’s 2026, and in 2026, black people can still be embarrassed on the field. Because racism is an insult. And I see that we still doubt what happened. However, Vinicius recounts the events, Kylian Mbappe recounted them. But no, that’s not enough, the doubts continue, we’re not sure if we believe that these two black players? reliable?” he told L’Equipe, as quoted by Marca.
“The first instinct of white people is not to put themselves in someone else’s shoes to understand how a victim of racism feels.
Thuram criticizes Mourinho’s behavior
After the game, Mourinho said he could not take sides as he heard two different versions of events from Prestianni and Vinicius. But then he went on to criticize Vinicius’ celebrations immediately before the incident.
“Who are you, Mr. Mourinho, to decide what Vinicius has the right to do? His statements reveal white supremacy and narcissism. The act of racism that Vinicius suffered has nothing to do with his behavior, but with the color of his skin. You suggest that it may be Vinicius’s fault. That he brought it on himself, that some white people feel too high. It prevents them from putting themselves in the shoes of the victims. They need more humility.”
“When Mourinho tries to make us believe that Vinicius is guilty of the racism he suffers from, it’s sad. This analysis reduces him to an insignificant person, an insignificant person. As long as this type of behavior exists, we will not all be united in the fight against it. And that is part of the history of racism. This analysis reduces him to an insignificant person, a worthless person. As long as this type of behavior exists, we will not all be united in the fight against it. And that is part of history of racism. This analysis reduces him to an insignificant person. As long as this kind of behavior exists, we will not be united in the fight against it. And that is part of the history of racism.”
This is not the first time Thuram has spoken about supporting Vinicius Junior. Back in 2023, Thuram explained at the time that Vinicius’ attitude had nothing to do with racism, and was irrelevant. The following year, Thuram also complained about the lack of support from white players, and urged that this program be improved, because it makes black players hesitate to report incidents.
