Racism at Benfica? Ex-Portugal star on Prestianni case: Ban it... | OneFootball

Present at the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony, held this Monday at the Cibeles Palace in Madrid, Luís Figo addressed several current topics in sport, more specifically, the controversial case involving Vinícius Jr. and Gianluca Prestianni.

"Well, I feel what everyone knows and should feel. All these incidents must be banned, not only from football, but from sport as well. But this also comes from our society. People need to be educated and steps must be taken so that this does not happen. I think the most important thing is to educate young people and to ban and punish", he began by saying, in comments to the newspaper A Bola.

He then spoke about the many "verbal attacks" that occur on the pitch. "But, nevertheless, that can happen on the pitch, and it depends on the importance given to it. These situations are very difficult, because in football there are always some verbal attacks on the pitch", he stressed.

"I think it is not racism, I’m not making excuses, but perhaps you are in a heated moment and say something you do not want to, or that you think, but it depends on the importance of the moment. I do not think the players are racist. But of course, these are things that cannot happen", he concluded.

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