During Real Madrid's Champions League match at Benfica, an incident of alleged racist abuse against Vinicius Junior occurred, sparking widespread condemnation. Trent Alexander-Arnold called it a disgrace to football, while Jose Mourinho's comments on the matter drew criticism.

The game was paused for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported that Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni had allegedly hurled racist insults at him. Vinicius and his teammates briefly left the field in response.

Vinicius, who has faced racist abuse before, posted on Instagram that racists are, above all, cowards.

Benfica's manager, Mourinho, suggested that Vinicius didn't celebrate respectfully after scoring a goal in the 1-0 victory. This happened just before the incident at the Estadio da Luz.

Mourinho commented, 'Something is wrong because it happens at every stadium.' Wherever Vinicius plays, something always happens.

Clarence Seedorf, a former Real Madrid midfielder, responded to Mourinho's claims on Amazon Prime, saying, 'I think he's still emotional and made a mistake justifying racial abuse.' Saying it's OK to be racist when Vinicius provokes you is wrong. We should never justify racial abuse. Vinicius has had enough unjustified behaviour. Mourinho deep down would agree, but he misspoke.

Alexander-Arnold, speaking after the match, said, 'What happened tonight is a disgrace to football and overshadowed the performance and the amazing goal.' Vini has experienced this before. Ruining a night like this is a disgrace. There's no place for it in football or society. It's disgusting.

Mourinho spoke with Vinicius after the player walked off the pitch following the exchange with Prestianni.

Mourinho said that Vinicius and Prestianni gave conflicting accounts of the incident. He also mentioned Benfica's legendary striker, Eusebio, to argue that Benfica isn't a racist club, while also saying he felt Vinicius incited the crowd with his celebration.

'Yes, I believe so,' Mourinho stated. It should be a crazy moment, an amazing goal. But he wasn't just happy to score that goal. When you score like that, you celebrate respectfully.

He added, 'I told Vinicius to just celebrate and walk back.' When he argued about racism, I reminded him that Eusebio, the biggest person in this club's history, was Black. This club is the last thing from racist. If he thought something related to that, this is Benfica.

They told me different things. I don't believe either one – I want to be independent.

Theo Walcott said on Amazon Prime after hearing Mourinho's interview, 'I'm usually calm and don't get angry often.'

I admire Jose Mourinho's work in football, but he made a poor decision here. This was a time he shouldn't have spoken, a night he should have stayed away from cameras.

Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius' teammate at Real Madrid, suggested that Prestianni should be banned from the Champions League because of the alleged incident.

Mbappe stated, 'This has never happened to me.' It's important to be clear, not general, on important matters like this. I respect Benfica and their coach, one of history's best, who made history with Real Madrid. But this player doesn't deserve to play in the Champions League anymore.

We can't accept this behaviour in Europe's top competition. This guy doesn't deserve to play in the Champions League, but we'll see. We'll leave it to Uefa, who always try to act. They have a serious case now, and I hope they do something.

Prestianni has not yet commented.

With the second leg coming up next Wednesday in Madrid, Walcott urged UEFA to take swift action.

This needs immediate action, not months of waiting, Walcott said.

Thierry Henry, speaking on CBS, talked about his own experiences with racist abuse as a player.

I can relate to what Vinicius Junior is going through. It happened to me many times on the field. Sometimes you feel alone because it's your word against theirs, since we don't know what he said, Henry shared.

He covered his mouth with his shirt. He already looks suspicious because he didn't want people to see what he said.

Let's see if Prestianni will tell us what he said.

During a Champions League game, Real Madrid's Vinícius Júnior claimed that Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him.

The game was paused for 10 minutes when Real Madrid players threatened to leave the field in protest.

Benfica's coach, Jose Mourinho, stated that Vinícius provoked his players and the fans with how he celebrated his goal.

Kylian Mbappe is calling for serious consequences for Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni after the alleged racial abuse of Vinicius Jr on Tuesday night.

The 63-year-old coach seemed to be in a serious conversation with Vinicius as he went to the bench after scoring a great goal.

Things got heated, and the winger even left the field after Prestianni commented on his back. Play resumed after a 10-minute break, but the situation had already caused a big reaction.

Kylian Mbappé Wants Champions League Ban For Alleged Abuse

Mbappe spoke after the game and was very clear about his feelings. The French striker believes that the Benfica player's actions deserve punishment. He said:

Mbappe continued, The fans booed us because they didn't hear what was said. We need to take action; we can't let this happen. I hope they take steps. We need to show an example for all the kids who look up to us; there are things we can't accept.

Mbappé thinks Prestianni, 20, should be punished, adding, I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I don't ignore this kind of thing. This player is young. How can you say such things on a football field?

What Prestianni Allegedly Said to Vinicius Jr

Mbappé also shared what he thinks the Argentine midfielder said to his teammate. In an interview, he claimed:

According to UEFA rules (Article 14 on racism and discrimination), a player found guilty of racist behaviour, such as insulting someone based on race, skin colour, or origin, faces a suspension of at least ten games (or a similar time period, or another suitable penalty).