Official: Gianluca Prestianni hit with six-match ban by UEFA over Vinicius incident | OneFootball

Gianluca Prestianni has been handed a six-match suspension by UEFA following his incident with Vinicius Jr. during the first leg of the Champions League knockout play-off between SL Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon.

During the game, moments after Vinicius had found the back of the net, Prestianni, covering his mouth, said something towards the Brazilian, which sparked a strong reaction from the player and his Real Madrid teammates.

Vinicius complained to the referee claiming that the Argentine had called him a ‘m**key’, leading to the match official activating the anti-racism protocol and the match getting halted for some time.

After the match, the Brazilian declared in public that he was racially abused and was backed by Kylian Mbappe, while receiving widespread support from across the globe.

Prestianni, for his part, maintained that he had not hurled racist abuse at the 25-year-old and claimed that he had insulted him with a homophobic slur.

Six-match ban for Prestianni

Now, UEFA has suspended the Benfica player for six matches for insulting Vinicius.

However, the punishment has not been imposed for alleged racist abuse, but for homophobic insults, which the player admitted making.

UEFA has also requested that FIFA extend the sanction worldwide, meaning he could miss the upcoming World Cup this summer.

Prestianni sanctioned by UEFA. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The sanction states verbatim: “- To suspend SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni for a total of six official UEFA club and/or national team matches in which he might otherwise participate, for discriminatory (i.e., homophobic) conduct.

“The suspension for three of these matches is subject to a probationary period of two years, starting from the date of this decision.”

” – This decision (i.e., the six-match suspension) includes the provisional one-match suspension that the player already served during the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League knockout stage playoff match played on February 25, 2026 between Real Madrid CF and SL Benfica.

“- Request that FIFA extend the aforementioned suspension worldwide.”

If FIFA accepts the UEFA Disciplinary Committee’s suggestion and extends the suspension globally, Prestianni would end up missing the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Source: Mundo Deportivo