UEFA confirm six-game suspension for Prestianni in homophobia case | OneFootball

UEFA has sanctioned Gianluca Prestianni with a six-match suspension for homophobia, the governing body confirmed on Friday.

The decision relates to the recent Benfica vs Real Madrid match, during which UEFA’s anti-discrimination protocol was activated following a complaint made by Vinícius Júnior.

Three of the six matches have been suspended for a probationary period of two years. As Prestianni has already served one game of the ban - the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Real Madrid — he now has two UEFA matches remaining to serve.

However, UEFA also stated in its ruling that it will ask FIFA to extend the sanction to international competitions. If approved, this could see the Argentine forward miss his country’s opening two matches at the 2026 World Cup, should he be selected.

According to international reports, Prestianni admitted during questioning that he used the term “maricón” towards Vinícius Júnior, rather than “mono” as initially alleged by the Brazilian forward and other Real Madrid players. This clarification led UEFA to classify the offence as homophobia rather than racism.