UEFA Hands Punishment to Benfica Player After Alleged Racist Attack on Vinicius Jr
- The European football governing body has taken a bold step to punish Benfica star Gianluca Prestianni
- The Argentina star allegedly racially abused Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr during the 2025/26 Champions League knockout play-off
- The football body is reportedly taking precautionary measures ahead of the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu
The European Football Governing body, UEFA, has handed Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni a provisional suspension following allegations of a racist remark towards Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr.
The unfortunate incident occurred during the first leg of the Champions League tie in Lisbon, after scoring a goal in the 50th minute, when the player celebrated in front of the home fans. It was before Prestianni made the comments before the restart of the game.
Vinicius Jr quickly alerted referee Francois Letexier as he activated UEFA's anti-racism protocol, causing a 10-minute delay.
Source: Getty Images
The European governing body opened a formal investigation into the claim, with the Argentine star denying making such comments.
UEFA suspends Prestianni
UEFA has imposed a one-match ban on Benfica star Gianluca Prestianni before the final verdict.
According to the BBC, the 20-year-old will miss the second leg of the Real Madrid tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, February 25, even though the investigation is still to be completed.
UEFA said the ban was in place following enough evidence to support a "prima facie violation" based on the evidence available. The statement read:
"This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the Uefa disciplinary bodies."
Benfica backs Prestianni
Benfica has shown solidarity with Gianluca Prestianni following the one-match ban imposed by UEFA.
According to Euro News, the Portuguese club cried out that one of its key players is being deprived of playing a crucial match while the process of investigation is still on.
The club vowed to launch an appeal, even though the deadlines in question are unlikely to have any practical effect on the second leg of the Champions League play-off. The statement read:
Source: Getty Images
"Benfica reaffirmed its commitment to combating all forms of racism and discrimination, values which it said "are part of its historical identity and are reflected in its daily actions, its global community, the work of the Benfica Foundation, and major figures in the club's history, such as Eusebio".
Legit.ng has compiled the divided opinion of fans following the suspension of Gianluca Prestianni. Read them below:
@KOYIN_CENTRAL said:
"Now this is my issue with things like this, you suspend a player based off on what another player said he said now how is that fair to the player and to his team aswell?"
@GEduard29 wrote:
"Most likely, they suspended him because he called Vini an anti gay slur, not for the racism allegations, since both are sanctioned the same way under UEFA regulations."
@OffishialOlu added:
"While racism should never ever be allowed. Innocent until proven guilty should be put in place. but if he has been found to have even attempted to be racist, then I support uefa."
Jabois wants Vinicius to stop celebrating goals
Legit.ng earlier reported that respected Spanish journalist, Manuel Jabois has suggested that Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr should cease celebrating his goals in the manner in which he does.
The football pundit said France international Kylian Mbappe backed the Brazilian winger despite not hearing the statement of the Benfica player.
Source: Legit.ng
