Benfica doubt Vinícius’ story, mystery over Prestianni’s gesture | OneFootball

Benfica released a video in defense of Gianluca Prestianni following the accusations of racism raised by Vinícius Júnior. The Lisbon club shows footage of the encounter between the two players and the moment when the Brazilian approaches the referee to formally make the complaint. Benfica argues that, “as the images show, given the distance, the Real Madrid players could not have heard what they claim to have heard,” since both were away from the other teammates.

The dispute began when Vinícius accused the Argentine of uttering a racist insult, a claim supported by Kylian Mbappé, who said he heard Prestianni call the Brazilian player “monkey” five times.

Benfica reaffirmed its support for its player by sharing a statement signed by Prestianni. The declaration reads: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at the player Vinícius Júnior, who unfortunately misunderstood what he believes he heard,” to which the club added a message of support: “Together, by your side.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.