Courtois Responds to Mourinho: "No Racist Act Can Be Justified by Vinicius' Celebration"

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has responded to Benfica coach José Mourinho, following the Portuguese manager's criticism of Vinicius Jr.'s celebration during the first leg of the Champions League playoff.

Asked if Mourinho's statements had disappointed him, Courtois said: "In the end, Mourinho is Mourinho, and as a coach, you will always defend your club and what your player told you. The only thing that disappoints me a little is using Vinicius' celebration, because in this case, Vinicius did nothing wrong. He celebrated as many opponents also celebrate against us, because when they score a goal against Real Madrid, the enthusiasm of many teams is double or triple. That happened, and we must move on, but we cannot justify an alleged racist act with a celebration."

Regarding the statements made by the Benfica president, Courtois clarified: "Using the Valverde case is irrelevant; he had no intention of hitting the opponent." Concerning the Prestianni incident, he added: "It's difficult; it will always be word against word, but we stand 100% with Vinicius, who has been through a lot and has never said anything like that. He heard it 100%, as he has heard it many times, and I believe him 100%. Since he covered his mouth, we will never know. Benfica will defend its player, but we can't do much; it's up to UEFA."

When asked if he would refuse to shake Prestianni's hand if he participated, Courtois replied: "This is something we haven't discussed as players, and we will see what we decide as a team."

On the possibility of sanctioning players who cover their mouths, Courtois described it as "difficult," noting that players sometimes wish to speak with teammates privately. However, he added: "If it's to end insults, then welcome. In many sports, many players wear microphones, or the referees themselves, and everything is heard. If it's to end racism, I have no problem at all."