Jose Mourinho hits out at ‘opportunists’ over Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestianni racism row

The veteran manager emphasised that his refusal to intervene at the time was down to the complete absence of verified evidence amid conflicting accounts: “One player was saying the accusations against him weren’t true and nobody had the proof. In that position, you simply cannot take a side.”

Despite the toxic atmosphere surrounding that clash, Mourinho expressed immense relief that both young attackers have moved forward: “Over there was a fantastic kid, and over here is another golden boy.”