Prestianni could miss Argentina’s World Cup after suspension | OneFootball

UEFA announced this Friday that Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni was suspended for six matches for “discriminatory conduct” against Vinicius in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, a match that ended in a 1-0 win for Real Madrid over Benfica, but made headlines because of the scandal involving the former Vélez player. In light of this punishment, the young footballer could miss the World Cup with the Argentina national team.

Although the 20-year-old player already served one match of the suspension (he was unable to play in the return leg, which ended with Los Blancos advancing), UEFA’s punishment could extend to matches with the national team.

The first thing to keep in mind is that, beyond the fact that the body governing European football noted in its report that the punishment includes “official UEFA club competition and/or representative national team matches for which he would otherwise be eligible,” the truth is that it has no jurisdiction over FIFA.

So why could it affect Prestianni ahead of the World Cup? UEFA asked FIFA to extend the suspension to national-team matches as well, and it is very likely to grant the request, as the disciplinary code states.

According to what this outlet learned, once FIFA announces its decision—which would be unfavorable for Prestianni, who in April broke his silence, denied being racist and homophobic, and said he was “punished without evidence”—the player will have the chance to appeal and, if he suffers another setback, take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), a body from which he could request a precautionary measure.

If the expected developments ultimately occur, the player developed at El Fortín will miss the next two official international matches, since the sanction includes three matches to be served and another three suspended, meaning he will not have to serve those effectively for now.

Because the friendlies before the World Cup against Honduras and Iceland cannot be counted toward a suspension of this magnitude, if he is included in Argentina’s 26-man squad for the World Cup, Prestianni would not be available for the matches against Algeria and Austria, which will be the first two in Group J.

For that reason, it seems unlikely that coach Lionel Scaloni will take the gamble of bringing a player who would miss a large part of the opening stage of the tournament and who, moreover, is still not a lock for the squad, as he was competing for a spot with Franco Mastantuono, among other names.

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