Benfica's head coach, Jose Mourinho, has opted to avoid his mandatory media duties ahead of the crucial Champions League playoffs semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, scheduled for Wednesday, February 25th. This decision follows a period of widespread criticism directed at comments he made after the first leg.

Mourinho's team suffered a 1-0 defeat in Lisbon on February 17th, with a spectacular goal from Vinicius Jr. for Real Madrid. This event, however, was overshadowed by subsequent incidents, notably allegations that Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni racially abused the Brazil international. Following the match, Mourinho's remarks addressing the situation caused further controversy, as he chastised Vinicius Jr.'s character and controversially invoked the late Eusebio to argue that Benfica could not be racist. These comments were met with strong criticism from various football personalities, including former players Thierry Henry and current coaches Liam Rosenior and Vincent Kompany.

Despite the high anticipation for his pre-match press conference, with many expecting him to clarify or retract his previous statements, Mourinho will not be attending. Instead, his assistant, João Tralhão, will handle media appearances before and after the game. Mourinho is able to circumvent the requirement for coach press conferences because he received a red card for dissent in the first leg and will therefore be serving a suspension from the touchline at the Santiago Bernabéu. Article 79.04 of UEFA regulations permits this, stating: "Each club must hold a pre-match press conference the day before the match. Each press conference must be attended by the head coach of the team and at least one player. If the head coach is suspended for the match, clubs have the option of making the assistant coach available for the pre-match press conference instead." Mourinho has chosen to utilise this provision.

In a related development, UEFA has taken disciplinary action concerning the racial abuse allegations. Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has been provisionally suspended for one match. The 20-year-old will miss the second leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu as investigations continue into claims he racially abused Vinícius Júnior during the knockout play-off first leg on February 17, 2026. UEFA confirmed this interim measure in an official release, stating: "Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour."

UEFA further clarified that this provisional suspension is issued "without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation." Article 14 of UEFA’s Disciplinary Regulations specifically addresses racism and other discriminatory conduct, with confirmed breaches potentially leading to severe sanctions, including lengthy suspensions and substantial fines.