UEFA has provisionally suspended Gianluca Prestianni for Benfica’s Champions League second-leg playoff clash against Real Madrid CF following allegations of racist abuse involving Vinicius Junior.
The governing body confirmed on Tuesday that Prestianni will miss Wednesday’s return fixture after an incident in last week’s first leg in Lisbon. Vinicius alleged that the Benfica winger racially abused him during Madrid’s 1-0 win, prompting UEFA to appoint an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate the matter.
In an official statement, UEFA said the provisional ban was issued after the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body reviewed an interim report from the inspector. The suspension relates to a prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, which covers discriminatory behaviour. Prima facie indicates that the available evidence is sufficient at first glance to justify further disciplinary proceedings.
UEFA stressed that the suspension 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.” Further sanctions could follow once the investigation is complete.
If found guilty of racism under UEFA’s disciplinary code, the 19-year-old Argentinian could face a ban of up to 10 matches.
The controversy erupted after Vinicius scored the only goal of the game in Lisbon. The match was halted for 10 minutes after the Brazilian forward reported abuse, with the referee initiating UEFA’s anti-racism protocol. Real Madrid players were initially prepared to walk off the pitch.
Kylian Mbappe later said he heard the alleged abuse, publicly accusing Prestianni of calling Vincius a monkey multiple times. However, sources told ESPN that Prestianni admitted to UEFA he used an anti-gay slur rather than racist language, a claim that remains under investigation.
Vinicius did not speak to the media after the match but posted on Instagram: “Racists are above all cowards [who] need to put their shirts over their mouth to demonstrate how weak they are.”
Prestianni has denied directing racist abuse at Vinicius. In his own Instagram statement, he wrote: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Benfica confirmed they will appeal UEFA’s provisional decision, although the club acknowledged that the timeline makes it unlikely the suspension will be overturned before the second leg.
“The club regrets being deprived of the player while the process is still under investigation and will appeal this UEFA decision, even if the applicable timelines are unlikely to have any practical effect on the second leg of the Champions League playoff,” Benfica said in a statement.
The Portuguese club also reaffirmed its commitment to combating discrimination, citing its history and figures such as club legend Eusbio. Benfica added that they would cooperate fully with the investigation but reiterated their support for Prestianni, describing him as the victim of a “smear campaign.”
The outcome of UEFA’s investigation will determine whether further disciplinary measures are imposed as European football’s governing body continues to confront incidents of alleged discrimination at the highest level of the game.
