‘Anyone found guilty of racism should not be in the game’

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior says anyone found guilty of racist behaviour in football “shouldn’t be in the game”.

Uefa has opened an investigation into claims Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during a Champions League match on Tuesday.

Prestianni, who denies the allegation, could be suspended for a minimum of 10 matches in European competition if found guilty of the alleged abuse.

But Rosenior says any coach or player found guilty of racism should be banned from the sport.

Asked for his thoughts on the incident involving Vinicius, the Chelsea boss said: “If any player, any coach or any manager is found guilty of racism, they shouldn’t be in the game. It’s as simple as that.

“It’s upsetting. Always, there needs to be context to it. What I will say, you can see any form of racism in society, not just football, is unacceptable.

Benfica manager Jose Mourinho accused Vinicius of inciting the crowd with his goal celebration during Real’s 1-0 win in Lisbon.

While Rosenior was unwilling to directly address Mourinho’s comments, he defended Vinicius’ actions.

“I have been racially abused myself. What people need to understand is when you are judged for something you should be proud of, it is the worst feeling you can ever possibly imagine,” said Rosenior.

Benfica defended Prestianni on social media on Wednesday, claiming there was a “defamation campaign” against the Argentine.

The Portuguese team posted a video of the alleged incident on their X account, saying: “Given the distance, the Real Madrid players could not have heard what they claim to have heard.”

Asked what needs to change, not only in football but in society, to deal with racism, Rosenior said: “A lot of things, this is a very complex situation when you speak about race or gender. There are a lot of things that need to change in society.

“It sickens me to be honest. I think there’s a wider debate than football. I think there needs to be more accountability for these things that need to be stamped out.

“There’s a lot of division. There’s a lot of people in the media who make prejudgements on people or how they behave or who they are based on their sexual orientation, what country they come from, what religion they are, what colour of skin they have.

“I think it’s a wider debate than just football. I think people should be held a lot more accountable than they are at the moment, in terms of social media, in terms of the press, to make sure that these things are stamped out because everybody should be judged equally based on the content of their character.”

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who managed and played for Benfica’s rivals Porto, said racism needs to be “eradicated all over the world”.