Rui Santos: Benfica should've told Prestianni to clear the air after Vinicius incident

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·19 February 2026

Rui Santos: Benfica should've told Prestianni to clear the air after Vinicius incident

The sports commentator Rui Santos analyzed the controversial episode that occurred in the match between Benfica and Real Madrid, in which the young Argentine player from Benfica, Prestianni, allegedly directed racist insults at Vinícius Jr., a situation that generated strong controversy at the end of the game.

According to Rui Santos, the case could have been handled differently during the game, avoiding the media escalation and possible disciplinary and institutional repercussions.

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“In fact, we understand that this can have consequences, and very serious consequences,” he began by stating, emphasizing the potential severity of the episode.

The commentator highlighted that the moment when the alleged incident occurred — about half an hour before the end of the game — would have allowed for a quick intervention by the involved structures.

“It happened half an hour before the end of the match. And half an hour before the end of the match, in a highly professionalized structure, there was enough time to understand what had been said,” he mentioned.

Rui Santos argues that an immediate clarification could have helped reduce tension and avoid more serious interpretations of the event. For the commentator, real-time communication would have been essential to “defuse the negative charge” associated with the moment.

“This could have been resolved very easily (…) instead of ‘mono’, if he said it, he could have said — or Prestianni himself could have said — ‘I didn’t say mono, I said tonto’, or something like that.”

The controversy continues to generate reactions among fans, commentators, and football figures, at a time when international competitions reinforce messages of zero tolerance towards racism and any form of discrimination.

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