Prestianni ‘to deny’ racist insult after Vinícius Júnior incident | OneFootball

Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni addressed team-mates in an urgent dressing-room meeting after his clash with Vinícius Júnior in the Champions League play-off first leg, Record reports.

The flashpoint followed Vinícius’ winner in Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory at Estádio da Luz, when he alleged Prestianni shouted a racist insult while covering his mouth with his shirt. Referee François Letexier halted the match for several minutes under UEFA’s anti-racism protocol.

Before Sunday’s training in Lisbon, the suspended Argentine is understood to have apologised for the tensions caused and any inconvenience to the squad and staff. He maintained he did not use racist language towards Vinícius and said the accusations had harmed his image and left him very offended. He was serving a ban and missed the last Portuguese league fixture.

Since the incident, Real Madrid have submitted all available evidence to UEFA and have been backed by several players and organisations. Brazil’s federation, the CBF, has urged UEFA to be rigorous when assessing any potential sanctions over the alleged racial insult.

Benfica have publicly supported Prestianni, describing the claims as a smear campaign and reiterating their backing for the player. The club are cooperating with UEFA to clarify what happened.

UEFA’s investigation remains open and the case threatens to overshadow the tie before the return at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Madrid and Benfica are set to meet amid heightened tension and debate over racism in football.

Source: Superdeporte