Uefa set punishment for Prestianni over abuse of Vini Jr ⚠️ | OneFootball

UEFA announced this Friday (24) its decision on the incidents that took place during the match between Benfica and Real Madrid, played on February 17 in the Champions League.

European football’s governing body handed Argentine forward Gianluca Prestianni a six-match ban for "possible discriminatory conduct" directed at Brazilian player Vinícius Júnior.

According to the official statement, the player was punished for homophobia, not racism.

The Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) ruled that three of those matches must be served immediately, and they already include the provisional suspension the Argentine served on February 25 in the return leg of the tie.

The remaining three matches are suspended and subject to a two-year probationary period.

Prestianni’s suspension, however, may not be limited to European competitions.

UEFA formally asked FIFA for the punishment to be extended worldwide.

If the request is accepted, the ban will also prevent the player from taking part in Portuguese League matches and the World Cup as well.

The forward was included in Scaloni’s latest squad list for the March FIFA window.

Case recap

During the first leg of the Champions League playoff, played at the Estádio da Luz, Vini Jr. was the absolute star of Real Madrid’s win, a match marked by allegations of racism.

The spark for the controversy came five minutes into the second half, when the Brazilian scored a stunning goal and celebrated with a dance.

The gesture triggered loud boos from the Benfica fans, earned the forward a yellow card, and led to the beginning of an argument with opposing players.

During the heated exchange on the pitch, Benfica’s Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt and argued with Vini.

Real Madrid’s player immediately went to the referee to report that he had been called a "monkey" by his opponent.

Given the serious allegation, the referee activated the anti-racism protocol and the match was stopped for around six minutes.

However, since Prestianni had his face partially covered at the moment of the insult, it was not possible to immediately prove what was said for an on-field punishment, and the game had to resume.

After play restarted, Vini Jr. continued to be loudly booed by the home crowd every time he touched the ball, but he stayed focused on the match.

Late in the game, tensions remained high, and Benfica coach José Mourinho was eventually sent off for aggressively protesting to the officials, demanding a second yellow card for the Brazilian after a foul.

Despite all the chaos, Real Madrid secured a 1-0 win and took the advantage of playing for a draw in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.

After the match, forward Kylian Mbappé came to Vinícius Júnior’s defense following the racist abuse.

In an interview with TNT Sports Brasil, the French star said that Gianluca Prestianni called the Brazilian a monkey five times.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, backed Vinicius and even submitted a dossier with evidence of the racial abuse against the player.

Read UEFA’s full statement

CEDB decision regarding SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni Match: SL Benfica v Real Madrid CF, 17/02/2026, UEFA Champions League 2025/26

Following an investigation by a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, disciplinary proceedings were opened against SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni for possible discriminatory conduct.

Decision

The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has decided to suspend SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni for a total of six official UEFA club competition and/or national team matches for which he would otherwise have been eligible to play, for discriminatory conduct (i.e. homophobic). The suspension of three of those matches is subject to a probationary period of two years from the date of the present decision.

This total six-match punishment already includes the provisional one-match suspension served by the player during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 playoff match played on 25 February 2026 between Real Madrid CF and SL Benfica.

Finally, the Committee decided to request that FIFA extend the above-mentioned suspension worldwide.

Prestianni’s version

Amid the case, Gianluca Prestianni denied the racism accusations.

In an interview with Telefe, the Argentine said he did not say anything racist during the on-field argument.

“What hurt me the most was being accused of something I never did. But those who know me know the kind of person I am, and that gives me peace of mind,” he said.

Regarding what he said during the argument, the forward explained that he used terms common in Argentine football, such as “coward” or “maricón,” but again denied making any racist insult.

“The word ‘monkey’ never came out of my mouth,” he said.

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

📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors