Clattenburg slams Vinicius for making ref's job 'very difficult' in racism incident

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has controversially suggested Vinicius Jr made the official’s job unnecessarily difficult during Tuesday’s racism incident in Lisbon.

The incident

The Champions League clash between Benfica and Real Madrid was halted for approximately eight minutes after Vinicius Jr reported alleged racist abuse from Benfica’s Prestianni following his goal celebration in the 49th minute.

The Brazilian forward, who scored the match’s only goal, celebrated with a dance near the corner flag before alerting referee François Letexier to an alleged racist comment. This prompted the official to implement UEFA’s anti-racism protocol as tensions flared between both sets of players.

Mbappé, who was standing beside Vinicius during the incident, later stated: “What I saw was very clear. Number 25 said ‘you’re a monkey’ five times to Vini.”

Clattenburg’s controversial take

While acknowledging the referee was correct to follow protocol once Vinicius reported the incident, Clattenburg’s analysis on Amazon Prime UK broadcast has sparked significant backlash.

The former official suggested Vinicius had complicated matters through his own actions:

“The problem is that Vinicius didn’t help himself much,” Clattenburg claimed on the broadcast. “He made it more difficult for the referee.”

Clattenburg argued that after scoring “a wonderful goal,” Vinicius should have simply celebrated and returned to his position rather than escalating the situation.

Backlash in England

Clattenburg’s comments have been met with widespread criticism across English media, where many have defended Vinicius’s right to celebrate his goal and report abuse without being blamed for the ensuing disruption.

The incident represents yet another troubling chapter in the ongoing battle against racism in European football, with Real Madrid players including Mbappé briefly threatening to leave the pitch in solidarity with their teammate.

For Los Blancos, the 1-0 victory was overshadowed by these ugly scenes, leaving a sour taste despite their positive Champions League result.