Former South Africa striker Benni McCarthy has called on Jose Mourinho to apologise for his controversial comments following allegations of racial abuse against Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian forward scored the winning goal in Real Madrid's 1-0 Champions League victory over Benfica on Tuesday, but the match was overshadowed by claims that winger Gianluca Prestianni directed racist abuse at him.

Vinicius was booked for his goal celebration and the match was halted for 10 minutes after he reported the alleged abuse. Uefa has since opened an investigation into the claims, which Prestianni denies. Mourinho, who was sent off for arguing with the referee, criticised Vinicius's celebration and defended Benfica by citing legendary striker Eusebio as proof the club is not racist.

McCarthy, who won the Champions League under Mourinho at Porto in 2004, said the Portuguese manager made a "mistake" with his comments. "The situation, he could have handled it better or chosen his words better but emotions got the best of him," McCarthy told BBC Sport. He believes Mourinho will eventually admit his error, describing him as "the most stand-up guy that any African player will ever play for." The incident has reignited discussions about racism in football, with Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior calling for zero tolerance for anyone found guilty of racist behaviour.