UEFA on Monday suspended Gialuca Prestianni from Benfica’s Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid this week after he was accused of racially abusing Vinicius Junior.
The UEFA disciplinary panel, which is currently examining the alleged incident from last week’s first leg, announced in a statement that they have chosen to provisionally suspend Prestianni for the next UEFA club tournament match.
“Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behavior during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behavior.
“This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies,” the football body said.
The ruling comes after claims of discriminatory behavior during the first-leg match on February 17, 2026, in Lisbon, where Real Madrid won 1-0.
Vinícius Júnior’s goal sparked a furious altercation in which the Brazilian forward accused Prestianni of using a racist epithet against him—the word “mono” (Spanish for “monkey”)—while hiding his mouth with his shirt.
The game was stopped for about ten minutes while the issue was resolved on the pitch after the referee activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol.
Vinícius seemed hesitant at first, but he soon picked up where he left off, writing on social media that “racists are, above all, cowards.”
Depending on the evidence—which might include referee reports, match film, witness accounts, and player testimonies—Prestianni might be subject to additional penalties, including a possible multi-match ban.
He has denied uttering any racist remarks, saying that he used a homophobic slur, which is Spanish for an anti-gay term, instead of a racial one.
While the team apparently prepares arguments to contest or lessen the sentence, Benfica has openly supported its player and expressed trust in his integrity.
Given Vinícius Júnior’s history of experiencing similar abuse in Spain and Europe, the case has rekindled larger conversations about racism in football.
Benfica’s attacking options are severely hampered by Prestianni’s absence ahead of the pivotal return leg, in which Real Madrid has a slim lead.
