Thibaut Courtois says Vinicius Junior celebrating his goal against Benfica does not justify any alleged racism.
Vinicius claimed he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni after scoring the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League first leg in Portugal. Prestianni has denied the accusation but has been given a one-match provisional ban by UEFA while the investigation continues.
Vinicius received a yellow card for celebrating in front of the home fans. Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said the celebration was disrespectful, but Courtois strongly defended his team-mate.
He said many players celebrate in similar ways and that a goal celebration should never be used to excuse suspected racist behaviour. Courtois added that society needs to do better in dealing with racism in football.
The match was paused for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported the incident to the referee. Real Madrid players were ready to walk off but continued after Vinicius decided to play on.
Real manager Alvaro Arbeloa urged UEFA to take strong action and use the case as a turning point in the fight against racism.
