Prestianni denies racist slur at Vinícius Júnior after Benfica vs Real Madrid clash | OneFootball

In the early hours, Gianluca Prestianni denied directing a racist slur at Vinícius Júnior during Benfica’s game with Real Madrid, posting his response on Instagram. According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the Argentine spoke shortly after two in the morning.

He insisted Vinícius had misheard, said he has never been racist and regretted receiving threats from Madrid players. Later on X, he questioned why no one reacted if he had made such a remark, argued that players routinely cover their mouths with shirts, and urged people to stop inventing.

Benfica released a video disputing Madrid players’ claims, arguing the images show the distance made it impossible for them to hear what they say they heard.

Kylian Mbappé was emphatic in his post-match press conference, saying he personally heard Prestianni repeat “eres un mono” five times. He said such incidents damage football, maintained that cameras capture everything, accused Prestianni of hiding his mouth with his shirt, and said he is not a colleague in the game. Mbappé added that Vinícius was very sad and that such episodes cannot be accepted.

Vinícius posted that racists are cowards who hide behind shirts and are protected by people who should punish them. He said nothing that happened was new to him or his family, noted he was booked for celebrating a goal and still did not understand why, and criticised a poorly executed protocol. He added he dislikes appearing in situations like this after a big win, when headlines should be about Real Madrid, but felt it was necessary.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo