Vinicius–Prestianni case: Rui Costa speaks out for the first time | OneFootball

Vinicius–Prestianni case: Rui Costa breaks his silence

Rui Costa / @x.com/Copa_Lal/

Benfica president Rui Costa (53) has spoken publicly for the first time about the controversy involving Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Benfica’s attacking midfielder Gianluca Prestianni.

During the match between Benfica and Real Madrid, Vinicius alerted referee François Letexier after scoring a goal, claiming he had been the target of a racist insult. Suspicion then fell on young Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni, as confirmed later by the Madrid club.

Before the Lisbon delegation left for Madrid for the return leg, Rui Costa made a point of clarifying the club’s stance. He reiterated Benfica’s absolute rejection of any form of racism and stressed the importance of waiting for the investigation’s outcome before drawing any hasty conclusions.

Rui Costa: “Benfica will never accept a racist player”

Rui Costa stated: “It’s clear that we have all talked. It’s clear there was a conversation with everyone involved. This situation is uncomfortable for everyone. Uncomfortable for the club and for the player, who is being crucified—and I guarantee he is not a racist player, otherwise he would not represent Benfica.”

He added: “Otherwise he would not represent Benfica. This has been a difficult week for everyone. I repeat: without downplaying the seriousness of the situation, this is an incident that happened on the pitch, and you all witnessed it.”

He continued: “Therefore, this in no way calls into question the values of inclusion and anti-racism that define Benfica, a club that would never accept racist players in its squad.”

He concluded: “I want to make this clear. Even on the pitch, insults are frequent on both sides, and I am certain that Prestianni has been deeply hurt. We have confidence in our player, especially because I can guarantee you he is not racist. Otherwise, I would be the first to report it and would never allow a racist player to represent a club of Benfica’s stature, whose very history is built on anti-racist values.”