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In his first public statements since receiving a suspension following an altercation with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, Benfica attacker Gianluca Prestianni spoke out in his own defense, redirecting attention toward those accusing him and the allegedly fabricated racism claims that have "hurt" both him and his family.
Shortly after scoring a stunning opener, Vinicius Jr halted Madrid's Champions League round-of-16 tie against Benfica in February to report a racial slur from Prestianni. The Brazilian accused his Argentine opponent of calling him a "monkey." Prestianni's teammates, coach, and the club itself vigorously stood by the forward, whose exact words could not be verified by any outside party as he had his mouth covered by his shirt at the time.
UEFA promptly opened an investigation, which remains ongoing, before taking the surprising step of issuing a one-match suspension through a provisional ruling. That unusual decision spared the uncomfortable scenario of Prestianni lining up against Madrid at the Bernabéu for the second leg of the European tie.
In the immediate aftermath of that first match, the Benfica forward turned to social media to defend himself, stating: "I want to make clear that at no point did I direct racist insults at Vini Jr, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he believed he heard. I have never been racist toward anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."
Prestianni has now stepped forward to explain exactly what he said and how he has coped with the aftermath in an interview with Telefe's Sofi Martínez.
Prestianni: 'For Us Argentines, It's Normal'
Prestianni's defense centered on a case of misidentified insult. Rather than the Spanish word "mono," meaning "monkey," the diminutive winger claimed he had called Vinicius Jr a "cagón" (coward) and the homophobic slur "maricón" (f-----).
According to Prestianni, exchanging these kinds of taunts is commonplace in South America. "For us Argentines," he said, "it's a normal insult to say 'cagón' or 'maricón.'"
As an example, Prestianni claimed that Vinicius Jr's Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé called him a "puto racista" (f------ racist) during the match.
"I heard it, and for Argentines, that's a normal insult," Prestianni shrugged. "They call me a racist when I've never been one and never will be. They insult you to put you off your game, but I would never react; on the contrary, the idea is to prove yourself on the pitch."
Even if Prestianni did use a homophobic slur rather than a racial one, he would still be in breach of Article 14 of UEFA's Disciplinary Regulations. Those rules stipulate that anyone "who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on whatever grounds, including skin color, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, incurs a suspension lasting at least 10 matches or a specified period of time, or any other appropriate sanction."
How Prestianni Has Dealt With Racism Backlash
Beyond the Benfica bubble, the football world largely rallied behind Vinicius Jr. Even those who came to Prestianni's defense faced criticism, while the player himself endured a fierce assault on his character.
Prestianni opened up about the toll this backlash has taken, not just on himself but on his loved ones too. "I thought about my mom, my dad and my grandparents having to hear so many things that aren't true," he reflected. "It's one thing for me—I'm a soccer player and I'm used to people talking—but it's another thing for them."
"I don't know if I was really focused on whether something was going to happen," Prestianni added. "It hurt that they accused me of something I never did—that's what hurt the most. I'm very calm because everyone who knows me knows the kind of person I am, and that's enough for me. They sanctioned me without any evidence, but it's in the past now."
It isn't quite in the past yet. UEFA still needs to deliver a final ruling on Prestianni's case. Given that he has already effectively acknowledged a breach of Article 14, the minimum penalty he faces is a 10-match ban.