By Paul Joseph
UEFA has rejected Benfica’s appeal against the provisional one-match suspension of Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni after Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr reported alleged racial abuse during last week’s 1-0 first-leg defeat in the Champions League knockout round play-offs.
Prestianni, who denies the allegations, will now miss Wednesday’s return leg at the Real Madrid stadium. UEFA said the suspension is provisional, pending the outcome of a full investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector, and further sanctions could still be applied to the 20-year-old.
Benfica had hoped to have the ban overturned in time for the match, but their appeal was dismissed by UEFA’s Appeals Body. The player had trained with his teammates at the Bernabeu on Tuesday in anticipation of a possible reprieve.
UEFA stated that there was sufficient evidence to support a “prima facie” case against Prestianni regarding the alleged use of discriminatory language. The incident prompted a 10-minute halt in the first-leg game after Vinicius and other Real Madrid players left the pitch in protest.
During the same match, Vinicius received a yellow card for celebrating in front of Benfica supporters following the winning goal. Benfica manager Jose Mourinho, who is also banned for the second leg, suggested the player acted disrespectfully and incited the crowd—a comment later criticised by former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said on Tuesday that using Vinicius’ celebration as justification for the alleged racial abuse is wrong. “I think we have to be less stupid as a society,” he added.
The controversy continues to overshadow what should be a high-stakes Champions League clash, with UEFA investigations ongoing and the second-leg tie looming.
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