UEFA punishes Prestianni for homophobic abuse of Vini Jr. in Champions

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·24. April 2026

UEFA punishes Prestianni for homophobic abuse of Vini Jr. in Champions

Despite racism accusation, Prestianni admitted to making a homophobic insult against Vini Jr.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) suspended Benfica’s (POR) Gianluca Prestianni for six matches after the player made discriminatory insults against Vini Jr. The decision, announced on Friday morning (24), punishes the Argentine player for homophobic conduct admitted in his testimony.

As the forward has already served one match of preventive suspension, five official matches of the ban remain. At the same time, UEFA’s Disciplinary Committee recommended extending the punishment worldwide. However, that measure still depends on FIFA’s approval to bar Prestianni from taking part in any official competition.

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READ BENFICA’S STATEMENT:

“Sport Lisboa e Benfica informs that it was notified by UEFA of the sanction imposed on player Prestianni due to the use of homophobic language during the Benfica-Real Madrid match. Player Prestianni was punished with a 6-match suspension, 3 of which are suspended for 2 years. Of the 3 matches of effective suspension, 1 has already been served and the remaining 2 will have to be served in UEFA matches or with the Argentine national team in a FIFA context.”

HOW DID IT ALL HAPPEN?

Real Madrid beat Benfica on February 17 in the Champions League, in a match marked by a stoppage after Vinicius Jr. accused someone of making a racist insult on the pitch. The incident took place right at the start of the second half, when the Brazilian player scored a stunning goal and began arguing with Prestianni during the celebration.

After the verbal exchange, Vini Jr. reported the insult to referee Benoît Bastien, who activated the anti-racism protocol and stopped the match for ten minutes in Lisbon. Later, Real Madrid formally filed a complaint with UEFA, submitting evidence of what had happened.

During the proceedings, Prestianni admitted using the term “maricón”, but denied the racial insult “mono” reported by Vinícius Júnior. Despite denying racism, UEFA used the confession of the homophobic insult to classify the Argentine’s actions as “discriminatory conduct”.

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