José Mourinho will return to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for the first time since leaving Real Madrid in 2013. But his Champions League return with Benfica will not be easy.
Mourinho will not be allowed to sit on the bench for Wednesday’s second leg because he was sent off during his team’s 1-0 loss in Lisbon last week.
After that match, he also faced criticism for comments he made about alleged racial abuse aimed at Madrid star Vinícius Júnior by Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni. Prestianni has been temporarily suspended by UEFA for one match while the incident is being investigated.
Mourinho coached Madrid for three years and won the La Liga title. He made a strong impact at the club during a heated rivalry with Barcelona, although the dressing room was divided about him.
Madrid president Florentino Pérez still admires Mourinho, and there are rumours he could return next season if current coach Álvaro Arbeloa does not finish the season well. Arbeloa took over from Xabi Alonso in January and now faces a big test against Benfica.
Mourinho was sent off in the first leg for angrily protesting on the sidelines. He accused referee François Letexier of protecting certain Madrid players from getting yellow cards that would have ruled them out of the second leg.
Mourinho said he cannot sit on the bench, enter the dressing room, or communicate directly with his team during the match. However, he added that his assistants will take care of things in his absence.
“I’ve had my butt on the bench for 1,400 games and (I could see that) he knew perfectly well who he could book and who he couldn’t,” complained Mourinho bitterly.
“I (won’t be) sitting on the bench, I can’t go to the dressing room, I can’t communicate with the team,” he added.
“It’s hard for me, but my teammates and my assistants are there, they’ll do their job. “
The first leg was overshadowed by claims that Gianluca Prestianni used a racial slur toward Vinícius Júnior.
UEFA has suspended the Benfica midfielder for one game while it investigates the incident. If he is found guilty of racial abuse, he could face a ban of at least 10 matches.
After the game, Vinícius posted on social media that “racists are above all cowards.”
His Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé supported him, saying he heard Prestianni call Vinícius a monkey.
Prestianni, 20, denies the accusation. He says he did not racially abuse Vinícius, even though he was seen covering his mouth with his shirt after Vinícius scored a brilliant goal at the Estádio da Luz.
Benfica coach José Mourinho said he spoke to both players and that they gave different accounts of what happened.
He also said Vinícius’s goal celebration was disrespectful and added that Benfica is not a racist club, pointing out that their greatest legend, Eusébio, was Black.
“He’s saying it’s okay, when Vinicius provokes you, to be racist — and I think that is very wrong,” former Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedorf told Amazon Prime.
“We should never, ever justify racial abuse.”
Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said the incident, which led to the second half being paused for around 10 minutes, was a “disgrace to football”.
The second leg will be played under its shadow as Madrid seek to avoid a humiliating early exit at the hands of Mourinho and qualify for the last 16.
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