João Malheiro: FC Porto’s stance on Prestianni is anti-Benfica

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Portal dos Dragões

·21. Februar 2026

João Malheiro: FC Porto’s stance on Prestianni is anti-Benfica

The case of the alleged racist insults by Gianluca Prestianni towards Vinícius Júnior remains at the center of the debate – and João Malheiro, a commentator who identifies as a Benfica supporter, criticized the public stance of FC Porto on the matter in a strong manner.

“I did not expect Porto […] to add more fuel to this gigantic fire, which is also anti-Benfica.”

On CMTV, Malheiro stated that Porto's intervention stems from the rivalry between the clubs.

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“Is this stance by Porto anti-Benfica? Completely, of course it is.”

The commentator added that, in the public discussion, the presumption of innocence has been ignored.

“When there is so much talk about the presumption of innocence, here we are talking about a presumption of guilt.”

For João Malheiro, it is condemnable that the stance comes from a direct rival.

“What I find condemnable is that a rival club, and just because it is a rival club, takes this stance.”

He reinforced the idea with a comparison about the hypothetical reaction if the accused athlete belonged to FC Porto.

“If it were a Porto player, certainly no one from Porto would be pleased if Benfica […] did what Porto has just done.”

These statements occur at a time when the episode – involving allegations of racism between Prestianni and Vinícius Júnior – continues to polarize opinions. While Malheiro speaks of an “anti-Benfica” stance, the Porto universe argues that FC Porto merely expressed a public position on a sensitive issue, with international repercussions, that should not be ignored.

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