Mourinho questions timing of Vinicius ban announcement ahead of Real Madrid's UCL clash with Roma

José Mourinho directly criticized the Competition Committee after Vinicius's four-match ban was officially confirmed this Wednesday, just hours before the Champions League match against Roma. When asked by Movistar+ whether the ban would affect the Brazilian player's morale, the Real Madrid coach redirected his focus to the Football Association's disciplinary body.

"I think that question should be asked of the Competition Committee—why they chose to announce the ban at this time. You're asking me this question, certainly because you believe it might affect him," the Portuguese coach responded. "You should ask the Competition Committee why they didn't announce it this morning or tomorrow morning. Why announce it two hours before a crucial match for Real Madrid, and Real Madrid is a Spanish team," he added, questioning the timing of the announcement.

Mourinho also outlined his tactical approach against Roma's intense style. "Considering the situation of our current players, and out of caution, I don't want them to press us too high. They use man-marking and pressing in the front with an intensity that's difficult to match. We will see if we can exploit that. If not, we will try to make them drop their pressing five or ten meters deeper," he said.

Regarding his team selection, Mourinho explained why he chose Antonio Rudiger over Dean Huijsen at center-back. "Rudiger and Konaté performed very well when they played together last time, showing strong leadership and resilience in a difficult situation where we played with one less man for thirty minutes. I'm not saying Dean is incapable of playing such a match, but the atmosphere here is wonderful for Roma, yet full of pressure for us. I believe an experienced player like Antonio might play an important role," he explained.

Finally, when asked how it felt to return to Roma, where he managed from 2021 to 2024, Mourinho said he had "sealed off" those emotions.

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