By Kazeem Ajibola Shoyebo
Vincent Kompany has strongly defended Vinícius Júnior and accused José Mourinho of making a “huge mistake in leadership” by questioning the Brazilian’s character following a controversial incident involving alleged racist abuse.
Speaking publicly about the controversy, Kompany insisted Vinícius’ emotional reaction during the flashpoint proved the seriousness of the situation and should not have been dismissed.
“When you watch the action itself and how Vini reacted, that reaction cannot be faked,” Kompany said. “You can see it was an emotional reaction.”
The Bayern Munich manager also referenced comments and reactions from other figures present, including Kylian Mbappé, who he said rarely speaks bluntly on such matters.
“Kylian Mbappé normally always stays diplomatic, but he was very clear about what he saw and heard,” Kompany added. “Then there’s the Benfica player who was hiding what he was saying in his shirt.”
Kompany reserved his strongest criticism for Mourinho, accusing the veteran coach of undermining Vinícius by bringing up the forward’s celebrations and invoking club history to dismiss racism concerns.
“Mourinho has basically attacked the character of Vinícius Junior by bringing in the type of his celebration to discredit what he was doing at that moment,” Kompany said.
The Belgian also criticised Mourinho’s reference to Benfica legend Eusébio while defending Benfica against accusations of racism.
“He mentioned the name of Eusébio. He said Benfica cannot be racist because their best ever player was Eusébio,” Kompany said. “Do you know what black players had to go through in the 60s?”
“To use his name today to make a point about Vini Jr… he made a mistake. Hopefully it won’t happen again in the future, and we can move on together.”
Vinícius, who plays for Real Madrid, has been at the centre of multiple racism incidents in recent years, sparking global debate and renewed calls for stronger action against discrimination in football.
Kompany’s intervention adds to growing pressure on football authorities and senior figures to handle racism allegations with greater sensitivity and accountability.
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