PR Wars Over Progress: Why the Kompany-Mourinho Spat Fails the Sport

Analysis | February 20, 2026 | By Football Truths

Report Contents

• 1. The Headline Circus: Mourinho vs. Kompany
• 2. The Eusebio Comparison: Deflection or Ignorance?
• 3. Kompany’s Response: More Rhetoric, Less Reality
• 4. Why the Victim is Lost in the Noise
• 5. Reader Q&A

1. The Headline Circus: Mourinho vs. Kompany

Once again, the global football media has been hijacked by a war of words between two icons, leaving the actual issue of racism in the shadows. The recent exchange between Bayern Munich’s Vincent Kompany and legendary manager Jose Mourinho regarding the Vinícius Júnior case is a masterclass in how football elite utilize serious social issues to bolster their own public standing.

Instead of a unified front against systemic abuse, we are treated to a back-and-forth that generates clicks but provides zero solutions. This public "hitting back" is exactly the kind of sensationalism that dilutes the gravity of what players like Vinícius endure on a weekly basis.

2. The Eusebio Comparison: Deflection or Ignorance?

Jose Mourinho’s decision to bring the late, great Eusebio into the conversation was a tactical error at best and a calculated deflection at worst. By suggesting that past legends faced similar or worse conditions without the same level of modern outcry, Mourinho essentially minimized the current struggle. It is a tired narrative that seeks to silence current victims by comparing them to icons of a different era.

"Nostalgia should never be used as a shield for modern-day inaction. Comparing Eusebio's era to Vinícius Júnior's is a false equivalency that serves only to stall progress."

3. Kompany’s Response: More Rhetoric, Less Reality

While Vincent Kompany was quick to "hit back," his rebuttal often feels like moral grandstanding. Kompany, now in a position of immense power at one of the world's biggest clubs, has a platform to demand policy changes from UEFA and FIFA. Instead, he engages in the media cycle, offering soundbites that make for great social media "burns" but do little to change the atmosphere in the stadiums.

4. Why the Victim is Lost in the Noise

Lost in this battle of egos is the actual human being at the center: Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian star has become a political football, tossed between managers who use his name to prove their own enlightenment. As long as the discussion remains centered on what Mourinho said or how Kompany reacted, the actual perpetrators in the stands remain emboldened.

5. Reader Q&A

What did Jose Mourinho say about Eusebio? +

Mourinho referenced Eusebio to suggest that racism in football is not a new phenomenon and that players of the past dealt with it differently, a comment many viewed as dismissive of the specific, targeted abuse Vinícius Júnior faces today.

Why is Vincent Kompany being criticized here? +

The criticism stems from the idea that public "clapbacks" contribute to a media circus rather than systemic change. Critics argue that managers in his position should focus on institutional reform.

Is this "hitting back" helping the Vinícius case? +

Likely not. While it keeps the topic in the news, it often shifts the focus toward the personalities of the managers involved rather than the legal steps needed to eradicate racism from football grounds.