Felipe Melo insists Prestianni must pay for Vinicius incident - “even with jail time”

Felipe Melo has once again addressed the controversy involving Vinícius Jr. and Prestianni, speaking to Win‑Win in forceful terms: “This can’t happen again. We’re in 2026. Racism ended a long time ago. It’s a crime. Prestianni has to pay the price. He should be punished severely — financially and also with prison time. Anyone who does this off the field should also be held accountable and arrested, because it’s a crime. At least in Brazil, this is considered a crime. We’re in 2026, and this kind of thing cannot happen.”

Calls for UEFA and FIFA to step in

Melo urged soccer’s governing bodies to take action: “This is unacceptable. I think UEFA, FIFA, and the Brazilian Football Confederation, together with Vinícius, should file a lawsuit against him. They should take him to court. This person needs to be punished severely.”

Melo responds to Mourinho’s comments

He also criticized José Mourinho’s reaction to the situation: “Vinícius spends 90 minutes being insulted, with fans calling him a monkey, as we’ve all seen. And when he scores, he’s not allowed to celebrate? I think Mourinho crossed the line. He’s a coach with many titles, but it seems he has a problem when it comes to condemning racist acts. Mourinho should have done what Kompany did: say that racism is a crime, that it cannot happen, and that we cannot allow it. That’s the answer he should have given.”

“We’re tired of talking about racism”

To conclude, Melo made it clear he doesn’t want to offer advice to Vinícius Jr.: “I can’t give Vinícius any advice. I don’t want to. I’m tired — and everyone is tired — of talking about racism. I don’t think we need to create a hashtag to support Vinícius, for example. We want action. We want punishment. We’re fed up with racism, and the world is fed up with it.”

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