Benfica player suspended by UEFA after racism accusation from Vini Jr

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·23 February 2026

Benfica player suspended by UEFA after racism accusation from Vini Jr

UEFA provisionally suspended Prestianni

Last Tuesday (17th), Vini Jr was, once again, a victim of racism in Europe. Following the repercussions of what happened to the former Flamengo player in Portugal, UEFA provisionally suspended the player Gianluca Prestianni, who was accused of racism by the Brazilian midfielder.

In summary, journalist Fabrizio Romano stated that UEFA notified Benfica (POR) this Monday (23rd). Thus, while the organization continues to investigate the racism case involving Vini Jr, Prestianni will not be able to play against Real Madrid in at least the next match between the teams.

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What was UEFA's position?

“Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behavior during the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on February 17, 2026, and at the request of the EDI with a provisional report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would be eligible, for a prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to discriminatory behavior. This does not prejudice any decision that UEFA's disciplinary bodies may take subsequently, after the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective presentation to UEFA's disciplinary bodies.”

What happened?

In summary, last Tuesday (17th), Vini Jr scored the stunning goal that secured Real Madrid’s (ESP) victory over Benfica four minutes into the second half. As usual, the forward celebrated the goal by dancing. However, players from the Portuguese team did not like it and caused a commotion on the pitch.

Prestianni, one of the Benfica players who went to complain to Vini Jr, called the former Flamengo striker a ‘monkey’. As a result, the referee activated the anti-racism protocol and stopped the match taking place in Lisbon, Portugal.

After that, on Thursday (19th), Real Madrid issued a statement saying that it had sent evidence of what happened to UEFA. In addition, the Spanish club thanked people for their affection and support towards Vini Jr.

When do the teams face each other?

After Real Madrid’s victory in the first leg, Vini Jr’s team will meet Benfica again this Wednesday (25th), in the return leg of the Champions League playoffs. The match will be held at the Santiago Bernabéu, in Spain, starting at 5pm (Brasília time).

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