John Obi Mikel Slams Jose Mourinho Over Controversial Vinicius Comments

Former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has criticised Jose Mourinho for what he described as “clumsy” remarks regarding Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.

The Portuguese coach faced backlash after a Champions League clash between Benfica and Real Madrid reignited discussions around racism in football. Mourinho defended his player, Gianluca Prestianni, while questioning Vinicius’ behaviour, sparking criticism from fans and players alike.

Speaking on his Obi One Podcast, Mikel, who played under Mourinho at Chelsea, expressed disappointment over the comments. He said he expected Mourinho to emphasise that racism has no place in football while allowing investigations to run their course, rather than criticising Vinicius’ celebration.

Mikel stated, “So for him to come out and say ‘Oh yeah, Vinicius Jr shouldn’t have celebrated the way he did’, that was a clumsy, clumsy comment from Jose Mourinho. He will be the first, he knows, he will be the first to know ‘I’ve f*cked up here’. He is a smart, smart guy, a very smart guy, he knows.”

Mikel added: “I don’t know the reason why he hasn’t apologised, but I expect him to come out at some point and make a statement. There is nobody who has played with Jose Mourinho that has a bad word to say about him, especially when it comes to racism, especially, zero, absolutely zero.