Mark Clattenburg points assertion after Vinicius Jr racism feedback backlash
After Mark Clattenburg’s reaction to the alleged racism in Real Madrid’s away victory over Benfica was slated, the ex-Premier League referee has responded
Mark Clattenburg has responded to the criticism against his commentary during Benfica vs Real Madrid(Image: YouTube/No Tippy Tappy Football podcast)
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has apologised for his ‘clumsy’ reaction to Vinicius Jr allegedly being racially abused against Benfica. The Real Madrid star found the net during his team’s Champions League encounter with Benfica on Tuesday night.
Following the celebrations, he alleged Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni had made a racist remark,prompting referee Francois Letexier to activate UEFA’s anti-racism procedures. Play was halted for approximately 10 minutes as the public address system demanded any racist abuse to be stopped.
However, Vinicius has claimed Prestianni made the racist comment after lifting his shirt over his mouth, a claim which was supported by the Brazilian’s team-mate Kylian Mbappe. Clattenburg, who works as a refereeing analyst for Amazon Prime’s coverage, suggested the referee had been placed in a difficult position as a result of Vinicius flagging the alleged comment to him.
During the interruption, Clattenburg said: “As a referee, I have had this situation before when players have reported a racial comment on the field of play. All he [the referee] can do is make the report. Afterwards, then Uefa will look into this. As a referee, it is very difficult in this situation.”
However, these remarks sparked widespread criticism on social media, with fans claiming Clattenburg was trying to put the blame on Vinicius. The Newcastle based official has since apologised for his handling of the situation.
He took to social media to say: “Nothing justifies racism in sport or in life. I’m grateful to have a chance to follow-up on last night, I got it wrong, I’m sorry.
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“It was live TV, my job is to respond in the moment and the words I used were clumsy and not right. I’m already learning from this and appreciate my colleagues who covered the situation with class throughout.”
The incident at Estadio da Luz has sparked a UEFA investigation, with Prestianni’s remarks set to be scrutinised. FIFA president Gianni Infantino released a statement saying: “I was shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism towards Vinícius Júnior in the UEFA Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid CF.
“There is absolutely no room for racism in our sport and in society. We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action and hold those responsible to account.
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“At FIFA, through the Global Stand Against Racism and the Players’ Voice Panel, we are committed to ensuring that players, officials and fans are respected and protected, and that appropriate action is taken when incidents occur.
“I commend referee François Letexier for activating the anti-racism protocol by using the arm gesture to stop the game and address the situation. FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. I will always continue to reiterate: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!”
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho was also widely slammed for his post-match comments on the incident. When questioned if Vinicius had provoked the incident with his celebration in front of the home supporters, the Portuguese manager responded: “Yeah, I believe so.
“The words they exchange, Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent. I don’t comment about it. When he was arguing about racism I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was black [Eusebio].
“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 [in] something happens. Always.”
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