Mourinho's Bernabeu homecoming upended by suspension, racism row

Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho receives a red card after being shown a yellow card during the UEFA Champions League vs Real Madrid at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, on February 17, 2026. [Zed Jameson / AFP] Jose Mourinho has not set foot in the Santiago Bernabeu since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, but his Champions League homecoming with Benfica on Wednesday will be far more complicated than initially anticipated. Mourinho cannot sit in the dug-out for the play-off second leg after being sent off during his team's 1-0 first-leg defeat in Lisbon last week. The 63-year-old also came under fire for his controversial comments in the aftermath of alleged racial abuse aimed at Madrid star Vinicius Junior by Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni. The Argentine will miss the second leg after UEFA provisionally suspended him for one game amid an investigation into the incident. Mourinho, who won a La Liga title with Los Blancos during three years at the helm, made a big impact on the Spanish giants during a period of particularly bitter rivalry with Barcelona and a dressing room divided for and against him. Madrid president Florentino Perez is known to be a big fan of the Portuguese coach and rumours persist that Mourinho could be hired next season to replace Alvaro Arbeloa, if the current campaign ends badly. The Spaniard, one of Mourinho's disciples during his spell at the helm of the 15-time European champions, faces his biggest test yet since replacing Xabi Alonso in January as Benfica visit the Spanish capital. Mourinho was dismissed in the first leg for vociferous complaints from the touchline. The coach said referee Francois Letexier was avoiding booking Madrid players who were at risk of suspension for the second leg. "I've had my butt on the bench for 1,400 games and (I could see that) he knew perfectly well who he could book and who he couldn't," complained Mourinho bitterly. "I (won't be) sitting on the bench, I can't go to the dressing room, I can't communicate with the team," he added. "It's hard for me, but my teammates and my assistants are there, they'll do their job." Prestianni banned The first leg was tarnished by Prestianni's alleged racial slur aimed at Vinicius. UEFA's decision to suspend the Benfica player for one game has eased some tension ahead of the second leg, and he could miss at least 10 if European football's governing body finds he racially abused Vinicius. Vinicius wrote that "racists are above all cowards", on social media after the game, while Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe backed his team-mate and said he had heard Prestianni calling the winger a monkey. The 20-year-old Benfica midfielder insists he did not racially abuse Vinicius while hiding his mouth with his shirt, after the Brazilian's stunning goal which split the sides at the Estadio da Luz. Mourinho said that he had spoken to both players and they had given him different versions of events. Then the Portuguese coach said Vinicius's goal celebration was disrespectful and said Benfica was not a racist club because their biggest icon, Eusebio, was black. "He's saying it's okay, when Vinicius provokes you, to be racist -- and I think that is very wrong," former Netherlands midfielder Clarence Seedorf told Amazon Prime. "We should never, ever justify racial abuse." Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said the incident, which led to the second half being paused for around 10 minutes, was a "disgrace to football". The second leg will be played under its shadow as Madrid seek to avoid a humiliating early exit at the hands of Mourinho and qualify for the last 16.

Mourinho's Bernabeu homecoming upended by suspension, racism row

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Mourinho's Bernabeu homecoming upended by suspension, racism row

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