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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Jonathan Liew

Vinícius, Mourinho and treating racism as reputational risk rather than a lived reality

José Mourinho talks to Vinícius Júnior on the pitch
José Mourinho’s comments about the Vinícius Júnior incident on Tuesday were deeply troubling. Photograph: José Sena Goulão/EPA

José Mourinho: against provoking opposition fans. José Mourinho: in favour of restrained celebrations. José Mourinho, once of the poke‑in‑the‑eye, sprint‑down‑the‑touchline, accost‑the‑referee-in-the-car-park school of footballing expression: now apparently very big on showing respect to the game. Well, it seems like we’ve all been on a journey here.

“I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was Black,” Mourinho recounted when asked about his conversation with Vinícius Júnior on Tuesday night. “This club, the last thing that it is, is racist.”

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