How Many Games Gianluca Prestianni Could Miss After Alleged Racial Abuse of Vinicius Junior
- Argentine star Gianluca Prestianni is facing the prospect of suspension after being accused of racially abusing Vinicius Jr
- The Benfica winger has denied the allegation levelled against him by the Brazilian and Real Madrid players
- The European football governing body has released a statement in response to the racial abuse incident
UEFA has released a strong statement following events that unfolded during the clash between Benfica and Real Madrid on Tuesday, February 17.
The two sides met again after Benfica’s 4-2 group-stage victory in Lisbon last January. While the first leg was fiercely contested, it ended on a disturbing note.
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Vinicius Jr accuses Prestianni of racial abuse
In the 50th minute, Vinicius Junior scored the only goal of the encounter to hand Real Madrid the lead. The Brazilian was later booked for what the referee considered excessive celebration in front of the home supporters.
Five minutes later, Vinicius approached the referee to report alleged racial abuse by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. Television footage appeared to show the Argentine lifting his shirt before exchanging words with the Madrid star.
The referee immediately activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol, resulting in a 10-minute suspension of the match.
UEFA’s response
UEFA confirmed that an ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to investigate a potential violation of its Disciplinary Regulations.
If found guilty of insulting human dignity, the Benfica winger could face a minimum suspension of 10 matches under UEFA rules. The statement reads via UK Standard:
“A UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 knock-out play-off between Club Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026.
"Any entity or person subject to these regulations who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on whatever grounds, including skin colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, incurs a suspension lasting at least ten matches or a specified period of time, or any other appropriate sanction," according to UEFA regulations.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has issued a powerful statement after he was allegedly racially abused by a Benfica player.
The Brazilian winger explained that the abusers have the protection of top individuals and eventually don't get punished. The 25-year-old said:
"Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are.
"But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team's life."
The former Brazil U20 star expressed shockat receiving a yellow card for jubilating in the UEFA knockout playoff in Lisbon. He said:
"I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose."
Bassey suffers racism in England
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) published a statement after defender Calvin Bassey was racially abused on social media after his last game for Fulham.
Fulham eliminated Manchester United from the FA Cup in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes to reach the quarter-final of the competition.
Source: Legit.ng
