Benfica’s Argentinian winger, Gianluca Prestianni, could face a minimum 10-match suspension from European competitions if found guilty of racial abuse.
UEFA has officially launched an investigation into allegations of racist remarks directed at Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior. The governing body confirmed that an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to lead the inquiry.
Chaos in Lisbon
The incident occurred during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs last Tuesday. Shortly after Vinícius scored early in the second half, the atmosphere turned sour. Vini rushed to the referee, reporting that he had been racially abused. The referee halted the match as the Madrid players walked off the pitch in protest, leading to an 11-minute delay.
The Allegations
Vinícius and his teammates have pointed the finger at Prestianni. TV footage from the game shows Prestianni covering his mouth with his jersey while speaking. This triggered an immediate, heated reaction from Vinícius and nearby Madrid players.
Kylian Mbappé later claimed that Prestianni used his jersey to hide his mouth while calling Vinícius a “monkey” five times. Vinícius, who has faced repeated racism in Spanish stadiums over the years, took to social media to state: “Racists are, above all, cowards.”
Benfica’s Defense
While a guilty verdict would trigger a massive ban, Benfica is standing firmly behind their player. On Wednesday, the Portuguese club posted “Together by your side” on social media.
The club also shared a video arguing that the Real Madrid players were too far away from Prestianni to have heard what he said. Prestianni himself took to social media after the match, claiming Vinícius misheard him and alleging that he was actually the one being bullied.
“I want to make it clear that I never uttered any racist insult toward Vini Jr.; unfortunately, what he heard was a misunderstanding.
“I have never engaged in any racist behavior, and it feels bad to have received threats from Real Madrid’s players.”
