Ex-Benfica boss won’t defend Prestianni, says zero tolerance | OneFootball

Quique Flores, former Benfica coach, expressed a firm stance regarding alleged racism incidents between Gianluca Prestianni and Vinícius Júnior, advocating a "zero tolerance" policy whenever there are indications of such behavior.

"I have a zero-tolerance mentality towards racism. For me, any gesture or situation that might imply this must have an exemplary punishment for the future," he stated in an interview with Renascença, arguing that the punishment should serve as an example to maintain a cleaner and more respectful football.

When asked about the difficulty of proving such situations, the 61-year-old coach (who has already spoken about Mourinho) admitted the complexity of the issue but considered that the regulatory body must act. "We all understand that when someone covers their mouth, it's not to say something positive, but the opposite. I understand that UEFA must act and there must be punishment," he mentioned.

Regarding the decision to apply a preventive punishment to Prestianni, he showed agreement: "It seemed right to me, it seemed fair. The punishment should be preventive because there is a presumption of innocence, but it would be very easy from now on for players to cover their mouths with their shirts to speak," he opined.

Looking ahead to the match against Real Madrid, the coach acknowledged the difficulty of playing at the Santiago Bernabéu but issued a warning. Despite the Spanish advantage, he highlighted the energy and quality of Benfica, considering that the Portuguese team "has the weapons to create doubts" for the opponent.

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