After racist controversy, Benfica move to defend Prestianni 👀

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·18. Februar 2026

After racist controversy, Benfica move to defend Prestianni 👀

Amid the racism case involving Prestianni against Vinícius Júnior, which led to a 10-minute interruption of the Benfica vs. Real match, the Portuguese club released a video defending the Argentine midfielder, challenging Real Madrid's version.

In the footage released by Benfica, the moment when the two players cross paths is shown, followed by the Brazilian's reaction, who runs towards the referee to report the incident.

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The Benfica defense's argument focuses on the distance between the athletes. The club claims that, "as the images show, given the distance, the Real Madrid players did not hear what they are claiming to have heard," suggesting it would be impossible for Vini's teammates to have heard any offense.

Como demonstram as imagens, dada a distância, os jogadores do Real Madrid não podem ter ouvido o que andam a dizer que ouviram.
– Mittwoch, 18. Februar 2026

The controversy began after Vinícius accused the Argentine of racist insults, a version corroborated by Kylian Mbappé, who stated he heard Prestianni call the Brazilian "monkey" five times.

The French star even defended his teammate on the field.

Mbappé tem que ter todo nosso respeito por essa atitude. Defendeu Vini Jr e não cansou de lembrar Prestianni o que ele é. Ficou indignado com o insulto racista feito pelo argentino.
– Dienstag, 17. Februar 2026

UEFA, in turn, issued a statement on the case, confirming that the review of the reports from Tuesday's games is underway.

"The official reports of the matches played last night are currently being reviewed," said UEFA. "Where issues are reported, proceedings are opened and, if they lead to the imposition of disciplinary sanctions, they are announced on UEFA's disciplinary website. We have no further information to provide you or any other comment to make on this matter at this stage."

Repercussions and statements:

Support for Prestianni: Benfica expressed support for their player, sharing a statement from the athlete himself, who denies the accusations: "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at player Vinícius Júnior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he believes he heard." The club added the message: "Together, by your side."
Vini Jr. vents: On social media, the Real Madrid forward stated: "Racists are cowards who have to put their shirt over their mouth."
Mourinho cautious: Benfica coach José Mourinho commented on the incident with caution: "I spoke with both, Vinícius tells me one thing and Prestianni another. I don't want to say 100% that I only believe Prestianni, but I also can't be naive and say that Vinícius told me the truth."
Criticism of Vini's behavior: Despite praising the Brazilian's quality ("He's a player from another world"), Mourinho criticized his attitude towards the fans: "The only thing I say is that you can't mess with 60,000 people. Why not celebrate like Eusébio or Pelé?" According to the coach, if Vini had just celebrated with his teammates, "the game would have ended there."

Mourinho's expulsion

Regarding the red card he received, Mourinho claimed to have only told "the truth" to the referee, accusing him of wanting to manage the next game by sparing cards for Real Madrid players who were at risk: "I know he knew that Huijsen, Tchouaméni, and Carreras couldn't get a yellow... He sent me off, but he knows I told the truth."

Mourinho was also asked if he thought Vinicius had incited the home crowd with his celebrations and said: “Yes. I believe so."

So, the words they exchange, Gianluca Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent. I saw two completely different things. I want to be independent and not comment on that. I told him [Vinicius Jr]. I told him: 'when you score a goal like that, you just celebrate and go back.' When he was discussing racism, I told him that the greatest personality [Eusébio] in this club's history was black. This club is anything but racist. If in his mind there was something related to that, that's on Benfica. They [Vinicius Jr and Prestianni] told me different things. But I don't believe in one or the other. I want to be independent.

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