UEFA has provisionally suspended Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni for the second leg of the Champions League playoff against Real Madrid following allegations of discriminatory behavior toward Vinicius Junior. The decision comes after an incident that interrupted the first leg in Lisbon, where Real Madrid won 1-0. Benfica plans to appeal the ruling as investigations continue.
The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) announced the provisional suspension of Gianluca Prestianni on Monday, barring him from the upcoming match at the Bernabeu on Wednesday. This stems from comments Prestianni allegedly made to Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian scored the decisive goal in Benfica's 1-0 home defeat last week. The game was halted for 10 minutes when Vinicius reported the incident, prompting referee Francois Letexier to signal potential racist abuse with crossed arms, a gesture adopted by FIFA in 2024.
Vinicius addressed the matter on his Instagram stories, stating: "Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts over their mouths to demonstrate how weak they are. But they have, on their side, the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish. Nothing that happened today is new in my life and my family's. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't understand why."
UEFA's statement specified the suspension for a "prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations related to discriminatory behavior," pending further investigation. Prestianni, who covered his mouth with his jersey while speaking to Vinicius, faces a potential minimum 10-game ban. Despite the suspension, the 20-year-old Argentine will travel with Benfica to Madrid, as the club believes the decision may not be final. Benfica issued a statement expressing regret and confirming their intent to appeal, noting: "The Club regrets being deprived of the player while the process is still under investigation and will appeal this UEFA decision."
Prestianni reportedly feels "very offended" by the accusations and has apologized to his teammates for the distraction. He is considering filing a complaint against Vinicius and teammate Kylian Mbappe on defamation grounds, potentially with UEFA, FIFA, or Portuguese authorities.
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho, who received a red card during the first leg and will also miss the game, faced criticism for his post-match comments defending the club by referencing Eusebio, the club's legendary Black player. Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany called Mourinho's remarks a "huge mistake," adding: "Mourinho basically attacked Vinicius Jr.'s character by discrediting the type of celebration he did. That was a huge mistake in terms of leadership."
The incident has heightened tensions ahead of the second leg, where Real Madrid holds a slender advantage and seeks to advance to the round of 16.
