When Lisbon Sparks a Controversy: Racism, Rivalries, and a Night Real Madrid Won’t Forget

Overview of the incident

José Luis Chilavert, the legendary former Paraguay goalkeeper, publicly criticized Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé after alleging that Benfica’s Gianluca Priestianni directed racist remarks—the Brazilian teammate reportedly corroborated the accusation, intensifying the controversy surrounding a high-profile European clash.

Vinícius’s actions during the match—claiming that Priestianni uttered racist phrases—led to a roughly ten-minute stoppage and prompted UEFA to launch an investigation into the incident.

Real Madrid later claimed a valuable 1-0 win at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, with Vinícius scoring the decisive goal as the drama unfolded in the stands and on the pitch.

Reactions and controversy

Chilavert, speaking to a Paraguayan radio station, said he stood with Priestianni and claimed that Vinícius is often the aggressor when it comes to insults. He suggested that the first insult came from the darker-skinned player, a statement that added fuel to a heated debate about who bears the larger responsibility for maintaining decorum in football.

The 60-year-old then argued that Benfica should defend Priestianni and warned that punishing the Argentinian could set a harmful precedent, implying that sanctioning Priestianni would “promote” certain identities and social groups. He claimed football is a game played by men on a rectangular field, remarking that advances in media scrutiny have altered the game’s culture in controversial ways.

Chilavert, a former Real Zaragoza player (1988-1991), argued that the problem runs deeply: he claimed the world today suffers from a poor sense of memory. He cited a Brazil vs. Spain match and a Netflix-produced moment featuring Vinícius crying, suggesting that the player had once expressed a wish for a football where Black people could live better, while also accusing Vinícius of perpetuating discriminatory conduct in the past.

He further asserted that “all racist incidents in football originate in Europe,” a claim he used to frame the broader controversy as a continental issue rather than isolated incidents.

Mbappé did not escape criticism, with Chilavert alleging that Priestianni referred to him as “the monkey” on multiple occasions during the match, a charge the veteran goalkeeper framed within a larger discussion of respect, values, and identity in football.

In closing, Chilavert contended that while Mbappé speaks of values, his personal life is under scrutiny in a way that the speaker described as unfair, arguing that individuals must be free to live as they choose, even if certain societal expectations remain rigid. He cautioned that it is not “natural” to constrain people’s identities, though he also asserted that the best partnerships—physically and socially—remain a matter of personal choice within tradition.