UEFA Suspends Prestianni Amid Investigation Into Alleged Racist Incident Involving Vinícius Júnior

UEFA Suspends Prestianni Amid Investigation Into Alleged Racist Incident Involving Vinícius Júnior

Gianluca Prestianni has been provisionally suspended for one match by UEFA and will miss Benfica’s Champions League second-leg tie against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The suspension comes as UEFA investigates allegations that Prestianni racially abused Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior during last week’s Round of 16 first leg in Lisbon.

Real Madrid won the first match 1–0, with Vinícius scoring the only goal. After celebrating in front of Benfica supporters — an action that earned him a yellow card — the Brazilian told referee François Letexier that he had been racially abused by Prestianni.

Prestianni has strongly denied the accusation and is reportedly considering legal action.

The match was halted for about 10 minutes following the alleged incident, and Real Madrid players briefly left the pitch. Benfica manager José Mourinho was later sent off and will also miss the second leg. He faced criticism for post-match comments in which he described Vinícius’ celebration as disrespectful.

UEFA has appointed an independent ethics and disciplinary inspector to conduct a full investigation. The governing body stated that further sanctions could follow once the process is complete.

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