Benfica shamed as foreign press surrounds club with racism accusations | OneFootball

The alleged racist insult by Gianlucca Prestianni directed at Vinícius Jr., right after the goal by the Real Madrid player against Benfica, made international headlines, with several publications calling the episode a “scandal” and emphasizing that the situation overshadowed the match and Real Madrid’s victory in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League.

In Argentina, the daily Olé described the incident as a “scandal,” explaining that “the Real Madrid forward reported the Argentine because he allegedly called him a monkey after the 1-0 goal against Benfica.” The channel TyC Sports used the same expression and added that “the Brazilian accused the Argentine of calling him ‘monkey,’ but VAR could not confirm it and the referee only issued a warning.”

In Brazil, the website GloboEsporte gave wide coverage to the incident, stating that “after tempers cooled and just before the game resumed, Vini Jr. was outraged by a protest and filed a complaint of racism with the referee. Once again, it caused a general commotion.”

In England, coverage was equally extensive: The Guardian headlined that the “apparent racist abuse of Vinícius overshadows Madrid’s victory.”

Sky Sports reported that “Vinícius Jr. had just put Real Madrid ahead when he was confronted by Prestianni, who lifted his shirt to his mouth before saying something to the forward.” The BBC also quoted Trent Alexander-Arnold, who told Amazon Prime that the episode was “a disgrace to football.”

In France, L’Équipe summed up the Brazilian star’s performance with “Decisive, targeted and insulted.” In Germany, the tabloid Bild led with the alleged racist attack, noting that “Prestianni deliberately covers his mouth with his shirt before speaking.”

Finally, in Italy, La Gazzetta dello Sport mentioned Vinícius’s celebration: “The Brazilian let himself go in front of the opposing stands, infuriating the rival team and even Mourinho. The referee warned him, but then stopped the game by applying the anti-racism protocol.”

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