Chelsea F.C. head coach Liam Rosenior says any player, coach, or manager found guilty of racist behaviour in football “shouldn’t be in the game”, following allegations made during a Champions League match this week.
UEFA has opened an investigation into claims that Vinícius Júnior was racially abused by Gianluca Prestianni during Real Madrid CF’s 1-0 win over S.L. Benfica in Lisbon on Tuesday.
As reported by BBC Sport, speaking about the incident on Thursday, Rosenior said he could not comment directly while the investigation is ongoing but made his stance clear.
“If any player, any coach, or any manager is found guilty of racism, they shouldn’t be in the game. It’s as simple as that.
It’s upsetting. Any form of racism in society, not just football, is unacceptable. When you see a player as upset as Vinícius was, normally they’re upset for a reason,” he said.
Benfica manager José Mourinho accused Vinícius of inciting the crowd with his goal celebration, though Rosenior defended the Brazilian winger and spoke about his own experiences.
“I have been racially abused myself,” Rosenior said. “When you are judged for something you should be proud of, it is the worst feeling you can ever imagine.”
Benfica have defended Prestianni, describing the situation as a “defamation campaign” and posting footage of the alleged incident on social media, claiming the distance involved made it impossible for Real Madrid players to have heard what they reported.
Rosenior added that racism in football reflects wider issues in society and called for greater accountability.
“There needs to be more accountability. There’s a lot of division, and people are prejudged based on their background, religion, nationality, or the colour of their skin. Everybody should be judged equally based on the content of their character.”
