Overview
- At Bayern’s pre-Frankfurt press conference, Vincent Kompany delivered nearly twelve minutes of prepared comments on racism, then declined to take further sporting questions.
- He accused José Mourinho of attacking Vinícius Júnior’s character and called the Benfica coach’s response a leadership mistake, criticizing the invocation of Eusébio to dismiss racism concerns.
- Vinícius alleged Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni called him a monkey after Real Madrid’s goal; the match was briefly halted, Prestianni denied the slur and covered his mouth during the exchange, and UEFA has opened an investigation.
- Kompany said Vinícius’s reaction looked genuine and noted Kylian Mbappé’s public stance after the game, while stressing his own experiences of abuse to argue for accountability and space for apologies.
- Bayern president Herbert Hainer praised Kompany’s statement as intelligent and courageous, and Kompany indicated he would not over-plan around potential yellow-card bans before facing Eintracht Frankfurt.