‘He got it all wrong’ — African legend slams Mourinho for comments on Vinicius racism row

Former Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor has strongly criticised Jose Mourinho over his remarks concerning the alleged racist abuse aimed at Vinicius Junior.

Adebayor, who previously worked under Mourinho at Real Madrid, said he completely disagrees with his former manager’s stance.

The controversy stems from Benfica’s Champions League playoff clash with Real Madrid, where Vinicius and teammate Kylian Mbappé accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing the Brazilian forward. Prestianni and Benfica have denied the allegations.

Mourinho, now in charge of Benfica, suggested Vinicius had provoked the crowd with his celebrations during the Champions League game.

“When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way… You should go and celebrate with your teammates, not in the faces of 60,000 people,” he said.

Adebayor rejected that narrative outright. “I think he got it all wrong, and for the first time, I will never agree with Mourinho on this.

“There is no place for racism in football. There is no space for racism in sports, and there is no place for racism in everyday life.”

Mourinho also claimed incidents seem to follow Vinicius in many stadiums, adding: “When it happens in so many stadiums, always with the same player, there is something wrong.”

Adebayor insisted celebration is part of the game’s joy. “If you are not allowed to go by the corner flag and dance, then there is no point,” he said. “They have to stop playing football… because these are the things that bring joy to footballers.”

Mourinho later admitted the fallout has been emotionally difficult, but criticism of his comments continues to grow across the football world.