Benfica’s Argentine denies racism against Vini, cites Real threats | OneFootball

Accused of racism by Vinícius Júnior during the match between Benfica and Real Madrid, Gianluca Prestianni took to social media to make a statement. In a post, the player denied having uttered racist insults against the Brazilian and claimed to have received threats from the Spanish team’s players.

“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at Vinicius Júnior, who unfortunately misunderstood what he believes he heard. I have never been racist to anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players,” wrote the player in a post on Instagram.

The accusation by Vini Jr. came after confusion among the players due to the Brazilian’s goal celebration, which secured Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory. Before the match resumed, as both teams were returning to their positions, the Argentine from Benfica covered his mouth with his shirt and spoke words to Vini.

Immediately, Real Madrid’s number 7 ran toward the referee to accuse Prestianni of racism. Following the complaint, François Letexier signaled for the match to be stopped. According to Kylian Mbappé, the Madrid players considered leaving the field, but stayed to finish the match.

Second leg

Real Madrid and Benfica will face each other again next Wednesday. The match kicks off at 5 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, for the second leg of the Champions League playoffs.

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