Rui Costa defends Gianluca Prestianni, insists Benfica would not field a racist | OneFootball

Rui Costa has publicly backed Gianluca Prestianni on the eve of Benfica’s Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid, reaffirming full confidence in the player.

According to L'Équipe, the Benfica president addressed the racism allegations for the first time before travelling from Portugal to Madrid.

Prestianni will miss Wednesday’s 21:00 return leg after a provisional UEFA suspension. Accused by Vinicius in the 0-1 first leg, the Argentinian continues to deny wrongdoing.

Costa said the club take the player at his word and that they know his character, stressing he does not consider Prestianni to be racist.

He also highlighted an incident involving Valverde and Samuel Dahl during the first game, described as a punching motion, while adding he would not use other flashpoints to contest the ruling on Prestianni.

Costa reiterated that he trusts his player, said he would be the first to denounce him if he were racist, and stated he would never allow a racist to play for Benfica.

Source: L'Équipe