Fela Kuti’s son, Seun, has weighed in on the racist remarks made to Vinicius Jr by Benfica and Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni in the UEFA Champions League play-offs, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Brazilian winger scored the only goal of the game at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, sending the ball into Anatoliy Trubin’s top corner in the 50th minute.
Vinicius then hit the dancing steps to celebrate his goal, towards the corner flag where the Benfica home fans were seated, and he was booed.
French referee Francois Letexier issued a yellow card to the 25-year-old, and the decision didn’t sit well with the two-time UEFA Champions League winner.
In the middle of the ex-Flamengo man protesting the referees’ decision as Benfica prepared to restart the game, Gianluca Prestianni put his shirt over his mouth and allegedly muttered the word ‘mono’, meaning monkey, to Vinicius Jr.
Immediately, he took off, racing towards the referee who revealed there was a racist remark in the spectacle, and after a few minutes, Vini made his way to the dugout to remove himself from the situation.
Play resumed after 10 minutes, but was halted a little longer with Mbappe showing his displeasure towards Prestianni, screaming the words ‘you’re a f***ing racist.’
An afrobeats artist, a vocalist and a trumpeter, just like his father, but that wasn’t all Seun inherited, the 43-year-old is also very vocal concerning civil issues, a situation that landed Fela in jail several times.
Seun Kuti took to his Instagram page to air his grievances about racism as a whole, but not just that, he also mentioned how several people allow issues like this press on unnoticed.
Seun Kuti also faulted Jose Mourinho, who claimed Vinicius’ excessive celebrations antagonised the Benfica fans.
“Did you hear what Jose Mourinho said? Jose is one of the most loved coaches in the world. Nigerians love him, Ghanaians love him, but he said it’s Vini’s fault, asking why he would celebrate to offend the fans.
“That’s Mourinho, he didn’t know when it jumped out. Who would’ve thought that Mourinho was complicit?
“What I would say is that black people who are in Europe only take racism seriously when it happens to them, because they believe that they’re above their people.
“All the black footballers and pundits who have spoken against it are not angry; they’re just disappointed, even Mbappe. There’s a difference.
INEOS Chairman, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, owner of about 30% of the Manchester United stake, recently stated that the overpopulation of the United Kingdom is due to the high number of immigrants in the country, and Seun revealed his words convey racial undertones, considering he employs foreigners to play for his club.
“Last week, the owner of Manchester United said some of the most vile racist things ever. The number he gave was wrong; it’s an anti-immigrant, racist rhetoric.
“He insulted poor people and immigrants, even though his teams have immigrants, yet none of his players said anything. None of the black, rich footballers said anything; they were quiet.
“They feel they’re not part of it, but once they’re racially abused, they expect it to be everyone’s problem. It should have been unacceptable when Ratcliffe said it,” Seun Kuti concluded.
UEFA have announced there’s an investigation ongoing, but in the meantime, Kylian Mbappe, Thierry Henry, Micah Richards and other notable football personnel have condemned Prestianni’s act, alongside Mourinho’s comments.
