Mourinho was seen speaking with Vinicius after he walked off the pitch following the interaction with Prestianni.
But it was Mourinho’s post-match comments that were the most shocking.
While publicly backing his player Prestianni, Mourinho suggested Vinicius had incited tensions through his celebration in front of the home support.
“You score a goal from another world, why celebrate like that?” Mourinho said.
“The same thing always happens in so many stadiums. In how many states has this happened? In how many stadiums? How many? How many?
“He’s an out of this world player, I love him. Vinicius tells me one thing and Prestianni tells me another. I want to be balanced.”
The remarks sparked widespread criticism, with many accusing Mourinho of shifting attention away from the racism allegations and placing responsibility on the victim instead.
In addition to expressing his belief that Vinicius had been disrespectful with his goal celebration, he pointed to the club’s legendary striker Eusebio as proof that Benfica are not a racist club.
Asked if he felt Vinicius incited the crowd, Mourinho said: “Yes. I believe so.
“It should be the crazy moment of the game, an amazing goal. Unfortunately [he was] not just happy to score that astonishing goal. When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
He added: “When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person in the history of this club [Eusebio] was black.
“This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. They [Vinicius and Prestianni] told me different things. But I don’t believe in one or another. I want to be an independent.”
