José Mourinho makes his long-awaited return to the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night, over a decade after departing Real Madrid in 2013. However, the occasion is far from a celebration. The Portuguese manager will be forced to watch from the stands as Benfica take on Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg, with the tie hanging on a 1-0 deficit following the first leg in Lisbon.
Mourinho Banned From the Touchline
Mourinho was sent off during the first leg for furiously protesting decisions made by referee François Letexier. He accused the official of deliberately protecting Madrid players from bookings that would have ruled them out of the return fixture. As a result, he is prohibited from sitting on the bench, entering the dressing room, or communicating directly with his players. “I’ve had my butt on the bench for 1,400 games,” Mourinho said bitterly, but confirmed his assistants would manage in his absence.
Racism Allegations Overshadow the Tie
The first leg was further marred by allegations that Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni directed a racial slur at Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. UEFA has handed Prestianni a provisional one-match ban pending investigation, with a guilty verdict potentially carrying a minimum 10-match suspension. Vinícius took to social media calling racists “cowards,” while teammate Kylian Mbappé claimed he personally heard the slur. Prestianni, 20, has denied the accusations entirely.
Madrid now look to secure their place in the last 16 while Mourinho attempts to engineer one of Europe’s great upsets from the stands.