Vincent Kompany has taken a clear stance in the racism debate surrounding Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. and also clearly criticized José Mourinho. The FC Bayern coach described his fellow coach’s handling of the accusations as a „major management error“ and took an unequivocal stance against any form of relativization
The background to this was Mourinho’s statements, who had classified the accusations of racism in connection with Vinicius‘ provocative goal celebration. Kompany responded with an almost twelve-minute statement in which he not only addressed the situation surrounding the Brazilian attacking player, but also described his own personal experiences. The Belgian spoke openly about his own experiences with racism during his active career, including his time as captain of the Belgian national team
„He made a mistake“
Despite his clear criticism, Kompany made an effort to differentiate himself. He emphasized that he did not want to fundamentally question Mourinho as a person. „I’ve met a hundred people who have worked with Mourinho and can’t say anything negative about him,“ explained the Bayern coach. At the same time, however, he made it clear that he considered the Portuguese’s specific statements to be problematic
„So I know he’s a good person, I don’t have to judge him as a person, but I know what I’ve heard and maybe I understand what he did – he made a mistake and hopefully something like that won’t happen again in the future,“ said Kompany
It is understandable that Mourinho wants to defend his club, but when it comes to sensitive issues such as racism, responsibility must be greater than sporting rivalries or emotional reactions. With the choice of words „major leadership mistake“, Kompany deliberately sent a signal that goes far beyond the specific individual case
Conversation between Kompany and Mourinho?
Rumour has it that Kompany’s public statement was followed by a direct exchange between the two coaches. There is no official confirmation of this, but speculation has persisted
Kompany was asked about the issue again after the Bundesliga match against Eintracht Frankfurt. However, the Bayern coach did not want to fuel the debate any further. „I think I said everything about it yesterday. It was a very spontaneous, open and honest opinion on this situation. Today is a day for positive soccer topics. Everything was said yesterday. I can’t say anything more about it.“
The 39-year-old thus made it clear that his focus is now back on everyday sporting life. However, his stance on the Vinicius case is clearly documented. Kompany has taken a stand – factually, personally and with a clear message against any form of relativization in the face of accusations of racism.