Vincent Kompany has issued strong criticism of Jose Mourinho over his reaction to Vinicius Jr’s accusation of alleged racist abuse in a Champions League play-off between Benfica and Real Madrid on Wednesday.
Kompany, the Bayern Munich manager, used a press conference to give an impassioned speech which drew on his own experiences of racism in football, and said Mourinho had made a “huge mistake” by “attacking the character” of Vinicius in the aftermath.
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Vinicius accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, a 20-year-old Argentina international, of calling him a “monkey” in the wake of the Brazilian’s second-half goal for Madrid. The claims were backed up by his teammate Kylian Mbappe, who said he heard the abuse by Prestianni, who could be seen holding his shirt over his mouth during an exchange with Madrid players.
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Vinicius reacted furiously to something said by Prestianni and alerted the match officials. The French referee, Francois Letexier, paused the game for 11 minutes after activating Fifa’s anti-racism protocols, although the action later continued with Prestianni on the field.
Fans inside the Estadio Da Luz loudly booed and jeered Vinicius throughout the remainder of the game, as Real Madrid saw out a 1-0 victory.
Prestianni now faces an investigation by Uefa. He has denied racially abusing Vinicius and claimed to have been misheard.
Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth when speaking to Vinicius Jr (AFP/Getty)
After the match, Benfica manager Mourinho blamed Vinicius for the confrontation and said the Brazilian had incited his players because he did not celebrate in a “respectful way”. Mourinho also claimed Benfica could not be considered guilty of racism because the club’s greatest player, Eusebio, was Black.
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“I told him that when you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back,” Mourinho said, of his conversation with Vinicius after the game. “And then when he was arguing about racism I told him the biggest person in the history of this club [Eusebio] was Black. This club, the last thing it is is racist, so if in his mind it was something in relation to that, this is Benfica.
“There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium that Vinicius plays, something happens. Always.”
Bayern Munich manager Kompany was asked for his take on the incident ahead of his team’s weekend game in the Bundesliga, and he responded with a long answer in which he defended Vinicius and tore into Mourinho’s response.
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“When you watch the action itself and how Vini reacted, that reaction cannot be faked,” Kompany said. “You can see it was an emotional reaction. I don’t see any benefit for him to go to the referee and put all this misery on his shoulders. In that moment he saw that it was the right thing to do.
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“Kylian Mbappe normally always stays diplomatic, but he was very clear about what he saw and heard. Then there’s the Benfica player who was hiding what he was saying in his shirt. In the stadium you can see there were people [Benfica fans] doing monkey signs, it’s in the video.
“And for me, what happened after the game is even worse. Jose Mourinho has basically attacked the character of Vini Jr by bringing in the type of Vini’s celebration to discredit what he was doing at that moment. It was a huge mistake in terms of leadership.
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“On top of that, Mourinho mentioned the name of Eusebio. He said Benfica cannot be racist because their best ever player was Eusebio. Do you know what Black players had to go through in the 60s? Was he there to travel with Eusebio every away game and see what he went through?”
Jose Mourinho confronts Vincius Jr after the incident in Lisbon (AP)
Kompany said Mourinho has a positive reputation in the game and is “deep down a good person”, but suggested the Benfica manager had made a serious misjudgement with his reaction.
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“I met 100 people who worked with Jose Mourinho. I’ve never heard someone say something bad about Jose. All his players love him. I understand the person he is, I understand he fights for his club. I know deep down he’s a good person. I don’t need to judge him on that. But I also know what I’ve heard. I understand what he’s done, but he made a mistake. Hopefully it won’t happen again in the future, and we can move on together.”
Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper reacts with rage after being hit by a pitch thrown by the San Francisco Giants’ Hunter Strickland during the San Francisco Giants game versus the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California.(Daniel Gluskoter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I think this should happen more often in baseball,” Harper said. “I think it would eliminate guys throwing at each other. It’s just like hockey. If you want to go, you want to go.
“This is just part of the game. Obviously, I don’t want to fight anyone on the baseball field. But there comes a time where it’s like, hey dude you get drilled, it is what it is at that point.”
Washington Nationals Bryce Harper (34) fights with San Francisco Giants Michael Morse, and Jeff Samardzija during the eighth inning of their game on Monday, May 29, 2017, in San Francisco, California.(MediaNews Group/Bay Area News via Getty Images)
Harper also said there is “no bad blood” between himself and Strickland anymore.
Harper was suspended for four games, while Strickland was out for six. Fighting in hockey is normally a five-minute major, but further punishment could occur.
The aftermath of a fight between Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper and San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Hunter Strickland left the teams heated during a regular season MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California on May 29, 2017.(Samuel Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Club s Raphael Onyedika celebrates after scoring during a soccer game between Belgian Club Brugge KV and Spanish Atletico de Madrid, in Brugge on Wednesday 18 February 2026, the first leg of the play-offs for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League tournament. BRUNOxFAHY PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBELxFRAxNEDxLUX x164163448x
Club Brugge head coach Ivan Leko has expressed his disappointment after it was confirmed that Raphael Onyedika will miss the second leg of their play-off tie against Atletico Madrid.
The Nigerian midfielder played a key role in the first leg, helping Club Brugge fight back after going two goals down. Atletico Madrid took an early lead through a penalty, and Ademola Lookman doubled the advantage before half-time.
After the break, Onyedika inspired a strong comeback. He scored one goal and helped create two others as Club Brugge battled to a dramatic draw at home.
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However, Onyedika picked up a yellow card late in the match, which means he is suspended for the return leg in Spain. Leko admitted it will be difficult to replace the midfielder, describing him as a very important player for the team.
The coach praised his players for their fighting spirit and said they showed great character to recover from a tough situation. He added that the team will now focus on their next league match before turning their attention to the crucial second leg.
Club Brugge are currently among the top teams in the Belgian league and remain hopeful of getting a positive result in Spain.
Roy Keane has criticised Michael Carrick since Manchester United appointed the former Middlesbrough manager as their interim head coach – but he is not bothered
Michael Carrick insists he is not ‘bothered’ by criticism and critique from the likes of Roy Keane and Gary Neville.
Carrick, 44, has made an impressive start to his second spell at Manchester United following his appointment as head coach until the end of the campaign after taking over from Ruben Amorim. The club’s former midfielder has secured four victories and one draw from his opening five fixtures at the helm.
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That sequence of results has propelled United to fourth place in the Premier League table. They are now just five points behind third-placed Aston Villa and eight off Manchester City.
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However, upon his appointment, Carrick faced scrutiny from Keane, who questioned his suitability. Keane stated last month that he was “concerned” about Carrick’s arrival and suggested the club are a “circus act at the moment”.
Speaking to the BBC, Carrick has now made clear he remains untroubled by criticism from Keane and fellow pundits. When questioned whether he must ‘accept’ and ‘shut out’ external comment, Carrick responded: “It doesn’t bother me one bit. Genuinely, it doesn’t. I’m not going to really fall out with anyone over that.
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“I think it’s a respect thing as much as anything, and I’ll give and take that. I think for younger players in general, it’s something we need to help them with and look after them. It’s a different world now to when, say, I was coming through, but we do that, and we look after them.”
Carrick is being considered for the permanent position at United this summer, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was seven years ago. United are also exploring alternative candidates, including Julian Nagelsmann and Roberto De Zerbi, whilst Thomas Tuchel is committed to remaining as England manager until at least 2028.
Carrick, who featured in over 450 matches during his playing career at Old Trafford, has hinted at his ambition to become United’s next permanent head coach, describing it as the “ultimate role”. He said: “I’m really enjoying it, I love what I’m doing.
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“I’m fortunate. I feel privileged to be in the position I am, but it’s not the fact that I believe I can do it, and I’m here to do it.
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“I said it when I came in – there’s the sentimental side of that… of understanding the role and coming through the club and being here and loving the club and being a supporter and all that side of it is one thing. But actually, I’m here to do a job now, and to make a good team, and be successful.
“I don’t decide how long that’s going to be, but I love being here, and whilst I’m here, I’ll give everything I can. And I always plan for the long-term future for the benefit of the football club. That’s how I believe it should be.”
United travel to Everton on Monday for their next Premier League clash. The Red Devils were beaten 1-0 in the corresponding fixture back in November, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall netting the only goal in the first half.
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
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Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski is through to the final at the Dubai Championships.
Dabrowski and partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil defeated Anna Danilina, of Kazakhstan, and Aleksandra Krunic, of Serbia, 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 in doubles semifinal play Friday.
Dabrowski and Stefani converted four-of-nine break-point chances and won 67.5 per cent of their first-serve points. The fifth seeds rallied after dropping the opening set to close out the match in one hour, 29 minutes.
Dabrowski and Stefani will face Laura Siegemund, of Germany, and Vera Zvonareva, of Russia, in Sunday’s final.
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Dabrowski reunited with Stefani this season after stepping away from a 2 1/2-year partnership with New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe that produced multiple titles, including two US Opens.
Dabrowski and Stefani previously won the 2021 National Bank Open in Montreal and are chasing their first WTA doubles title since reforming.
India leg-spinner Rahul Chahar has announced his separation from his wife Ishani Johar, nearly four years after their marriage. The couple got married in 2022 in a ceremony held in Goa.The 26-year-old shared the update about his personal life through a post on Instagram on Friday (February 20), confirming that the marriage has legally ended. In the note, Rahul reflected on his experiences and what he learned over the years.In a lengthy social media post on Instagram, Rahul Chahar exclaimed that he had entered marriage at a young age before wholly understanding himself and what he wanted to build.“I entered marriage at a young age, before I fully understood myself, my worth, or the life I truly wanted to build. What followed were years of lessons I never expected, and the last fifteen months spent navigating courtrooms, learning patience, resilience, and the strength that some from in truth,” Rahul said.The leg-spinner said the chapter of his life has now formally ended and that he has no regrets.“Today, that chapter of my life formally comes to a close. After due legal process, the matter has been settled with my resolution that costed a lot, bringing finality to this phase of my life. I close this chapter not with anger or regret, but with clarity. Some relationships are not meant to last forever they are meant to awaken us, teach us, and transform us,” the leg-spinner said.On the cricket front, Rahul Chahar has not had regular opportunities in the IPL in recent seasons after an early run with Mumbai Indians. He last played for India in 2021, having made his international debut in 2019.He initially went unsold in the first round of the IPL 2026 mini auction, but Chennai Super Kings later signed him for Rs 5.20 crore to strengthen their spin attack. He will look to revive his form this season.
Ahead of the Genesis Invitational, the Los Angeles area around Riviera Country Club had been pummeled by rain. When more rain arrived during Thursday’s opening round, Riviera’s putting surfaces turned so soft Collin Morikawa said he’d “never seen greens like this.”
He wasn’t the only star flummoxed by Riviera’s soaked greens on Thursday. World No. 2 Rory McIlroy detailed his confusion over the “soft” but “fast” green conditions, while Adam Scott was robbed of a hole-in-one after his tee shot embedded next to the cup.
Here’s what you need to know.
Collin Morikawa on Riviera: ‘I’ve never seen greens like this’
But you’d never know Morikawa was tied for fifth based on his comments about his round Thursday evening. Riviera’s extremely soft greens left Morikawa sounding confused.
“I honestly don’t know how they got it to this. Like I’ve never seen greens like this,” Morikawa began during his post-round interview.
He continued by explaining how the super-soft conditions allowed him to attack greens from unenviable lies and distances, where he’d normally be worried about holding the putting surface.
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“I mean, you could stop any club from anyplace on, you know, from the rough, flyer lies. Like, I mean, I think I had two or three shots today, flyers out of the first cut and rough and like I’m not worried about missing the green at all,” he explained. “It’s just purely hit and hope.”
Counterintuitively, some greens were still playing fast despite being extremely soggy and soft. Morikawa saw this reality in action when he witnessed Rory McIlroy land his approach on 18 near the hole, only to watch it spin back 30 feet off the front edge of the green.
“And then, I mean, you saw Rory’s shot on 18, like it’s just unfair’s not the right word,” Morikawa explained. “You just have to really take those 30-footers and go out and make some birdies somewhere else.”
Rory McIlroy explains ‘difficult’ challenge of greens at Genesis Invitational
After his own opening round at the Genesis was complete, McIlroy also spoke to the media, and he was asked about Morikawa’s comments concerning the condition of Riviera’s greens.
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McIlroy echoed Morikawa’s thoughts, arguing that navigating Riviera’s greens on Thursday was unusually difficult because they were somehow “soft” and “fast” at the same time.
“Yeah, it’s like they’re soft but they’re fast, I think that’s the hard thing. It’s like last week at Pebble they were soft, but they were slow because they’re worried about the wind,” McIlroy explained. “Here, they’re so fast.”
He continued: “The ball, like it just starts to get away from you a little bit, especially if it spins back. It’s just taking more club and taking spin off it. I’m hitting a lot of just little chippy 7-irons and 8-irons.”
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He also added his own thoughts about his surprising approach shot on 18.
“And even that 9-iron at the last I hit, it was 186, I hit a full-blooded 9-iron thinking that, you know, 25 miles an hour downwind, it’s not going to come back too much and, you know, it came back 30 feet,” he said.
The steep nature of Riviera’s heralded greens added to the challenge.
“I think it’s a combination of how soft they are, but also how fast they are as well. And a lot of the greens here are pitched quite severely from back to front, so it’s difficult.”
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Despite the confusion, McIlroy’s scorecard didn’t seem to suffer from the trying conditions. Rory made six birdies and one bogey on Thursday to shoot a 66 and get within one shot of the lead.
Adam Scott robbed of hole-in-one when ball embeds in Riviera green
If there were one shot that perfectly exemplified just how strange Riviera’s greens were playing in Round 1, it wasn’t McIlroy’s approach on 18. Instead, it was the bizarre performance of Adam Scott’s tee shot on the par-3 16th.
Arriving at the 165-yard par-3 at one under, Scott hit a nearly perfect iron shot from the tee. After impact, the shot tracer showed Scott’s ball flying directly toward the pin, and it was on point. Scott’s ball came crashing down 7 inches in front of the cup.
But instead of bounding and rolling into the hole, Scott’s ball embedded into the soggy 16th green right where it landed. Check out the shot below.
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With that, a would-be hole-in-one turned into a tap-in birdie-2, and Scott was left shaking his head, as Morikawa and McIlroy had done earlier.
The striker is on loan from Manchester United to Napoli with the Italian side having the option to make the deal permanent
Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund has said that he’s a “different player” to the one who left the club back in the summer. The striker joined Serie A side Napoli on loan for the season.
The 23-year-old has made 32 appearances in all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists. His latest goals came in a brace in the 3-2 away win against Genoa earlier this month.
Speaking to Il Mattino, Hojlund said: “I still have a lot to learn, and I’m sure Conte is the right coach to help me grow in many ways. Compared to Rasmus in August, I’m a different player. I’m still improving, and even though I’m not very young, I’m sure I still have a lot of room for improvement.”
On Conte, he added: “He’s mentally incredibly strong. I’m fascinated by his mentality: he’s passionate, fierce. And he’s a winner. In fact, a serial winner. And if he doesn’t win, we immediately understand that we haven’t won.”
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Hojlund joined United from Atalanta in the summer of 2023 for an initial fee of £64million, but struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford, leading him to sign on loan for Napoli.
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With both players impressing, it makes it more likely that both clubs will take up those options. That would provide United with a £64million boost in the summer transfer window.
Those potential fees could help the club to fund fees for potential incomings. United are expected to look at midfield options when the summer window opens.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Kompany was also critical of Mourinho for using Eusebio’s name as supposed proof that Benfica is not a racist club.
“Do you know what black players had to go through in the 1960s?” added the former Manchester City captain and Burnley boss.
“Was he (Mourinho) there to travel with Eusebio to every away game?
“Probably at the time the only option they had was to be quiet, to say nothing, be above it and to be 10 times better in order to get a little bit of credit for people to say ‘actually, he is good’.
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“That was Eusebio’s life.”
Kompany, who also spoke about racial abuse he experienced as a player, said talk of Vinicius’ celebration should not distract from the player’s immediate response to Prestianni’s alleged remarks.
“I’m just thinking when Jose Mourinho is doing the knee slide at Old Trafford, when he does his celebration in front of the [Barcelona] fans in the Champions League semi-final with Inter Milan, when his Roma are playing Sevilla and he is fighting with the referee and the referee has to leave the country under protection,” he added.
“I know one hundred people who have worked with Jose Mourinho. I’ve never heard a person say anything bad about Jose.
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“I understand he is fighting for his team and his club. You cannot be a bad person and have all the ex players you have had talk so positively about you.
“I don’t need to judge him as a person but I know what I’ve heard. And I understand maybe what he has done, but he has made a mistake.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about the impact for Manchester City on Arsenal’s draw at Wolves this week.
Pep Guardiola said that he does not know how Manchester City will react to Arsenal’s draw at Wolves as he looks to keep all title race talk out of the Etihad. The Blues can close the gap at the top of the Premier League table to two points on Saturday but Guardiola will not let it be framed in those terms.
With a third of the season still to be completed, City’s manager insists that there are many twists and turns still to come in a title race that has become more interesting over the last fortnight as Arsenal have opened the door to City. The title race is in the hands of both teams given they play each other at the Etihad in April.
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As the country leans into that excitement, Guardiola refuses to let his team get ahead of themselves ahead of their fourth meeting of the season with Newcastle. The City boss said that he had not spent one second with his squad talking about the title race or Arsenal’s results.
“Many things are going to happen until the end of the season. 70 per cent of the players are new so they don’t have that experience of these kind of situations. Experience is win tomorrow.
“12 games is a lot. Newcastle is all I am concerned with. I’m not concerned with the League Cup final with Arsenal until it comes. Now it’s rest and after Leeds. You want to anticipate what is going to happen, who is going to be champion but that doesn’t count. It’s Newcastle.
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The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
“I didn’t speak one second about that with my players. Yesterday and the day before it was Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle. I didn’t talk about the position or the table. I could not care less. It’s 12 games. Ask me this question with two or three games and I will answer but 12 games left is an eternity.”
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Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho made his return for Celtic in a tough night for the Scottish side, who suffered a 4-1 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart in the Europa League.
Iheanacho came on as a substitute in the 71st minute, marking his first appearance since early February. He had missed several league matches due to fitness issues, but his return was highly anticipated by fans.
Celtic started well when Benjamin Nygren equalised shortly after Stuttgart’s opening goal from Bilal El Khannouss. However, Stuttgart soon regained control, with El Khannouss heading in a second goal and Jamie Leweling adding a third after the break. Tiago Tomas completed the scoring, giving Stuttgart a comfortable first-leg lead.
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Iheanacho joined Celtic last summer on a free transfer, bringing experience from his time at Manchester City. Injuries have limited his impact so far, with just a handful of league appearances this season.
Despite the loss, Iheanacho’s return offers hope that he can regain full fitness and help Celtic in the coming weeks as they aim to recover in the Europa League and domestic competitions.
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