UEFA suspends Benfica’s Prestianni over racist abuse against Vinicius
On Monday, UEFA announced the suspension of midfielder Gianluca Prestianni from Benfica’s Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid this week, following accusations of racially abusing Vinicius Junior.
UEFA’s disciplinary committee, which is still probing the alleged incident from last week’s first leg, stated in a release that they have opted to provisionally suspend Prestianni for the upcoming UEFA club competition match.
"In light of the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate claims of discriminatory conduct during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on February 17, 2026, and at the request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has today resolved to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible, due to a prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) concerning discriminatory behaviour.
"This decision is made without prejudice to any future ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may issue following the completion of the ongoing investigation and its subsequent submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies," the football organization stated.
This decision comes in response to allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the first-leg match on February 17, 2026, in Lisbon, where Real Madrid achieved a 1-0 victory.
The incident transpired after Vinícius Júnior scored, resulting in a heated exchange in which the Brazilian forward accused Prestianni of using a racist slur against him, specifically the term "mono" (Spanish for "monkey"), while covering his mouth with his shirt.
The referee activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol, leading to an approximate 10-minute interruption in play as the situation was addressed on the field.
On Monday, UEFA announced the suspension of midfielder Gianluca Prestianni from Benfica’s Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid this week, following accusations of racially abusing Vinicius Junior.
UEFA’s disciplinary committee, which is still probing the alleged incident from last week’s first leg, stated in a release that they have opted to provisionally suspend Prestianni for the upcoming UEFA club competition match.
"In light of the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate claims of discriminatory conduct during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on February 17, 2026, and at the request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has today resolved to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible, due to a prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) concerning discriminatory behaviour.
"This decision is made without prejudice to any future ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may issue following the completion of the ongoing investigation and its subsequent submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies," the football organization stated.
This decision comes in response to allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the first-leg match on February 17, 2026, in Lisbon, where Real Madrid achieved a 1-0 victory.
The incident transpired after Vinícius Júnior scored, resulting in a heated exchange in which the Brazilian forward accused Prestianni of using a racist slur against him, specifically the term "mono" (Spanish for "monkey"), while covering his mouth with his shirt.
The referee activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol, leading to an approximate 10-minute interruption in play as the situation was addressed on the field.
