McCarthy, who won the Champions League under Mourinho at Porto in 2004, said the Portuguese made a 'mistake' with his comments after Vinicius was targeted during Real Madrid's 1-0 Champions League win against Benfica. 'The situation, he could have handled it better or chosen his words better but emotions got the best of him,' McCarthy told BBC World Service.
Despite criticizing Mourinho, McCarthy defended his former boss, saying he's 'the most stand-up guy that any African player will ever play for' and believes it was an 'emotional decision.' Vinicius, who has faced numerous racist incidents, later posted on Instagram: 'Racists are, above all, cowards.' Uefa have opened an investigation into the claims, which Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni denies.