UEFA Drops Hammer on Gianluca Prestianni While Vinicius Jr Awaits Final Verdict

Benfica striker Gianluca Prestianni has received a one-game ban from UEFA competitions as European football's governing body continues examining the alleged racist incident involving Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior.

Prestianni has rejected the accusations and Benfica plan to challenge the ruling.

Vinicius Jr alerted referee François Letexier during last Tuesday's Champions League knockout playoff first leg in Lisbon after netting the match's sole goal. The Argentine striker covered his mouth before speaking to Real Madrid's No. 7, who alleged that his opponent called him a "monkey."

UEFA immediately launched an inquiry to determine whether Prestianni violated Article 14 of the organization's Disciplinary Regulations. These guidelines state: "Any entity or person subject to these regulations who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on whatever grounds, including skin colour, 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."

Instead of 10 matches, Prestianni has only received a one-game penalty—Wednesday's second leg against Real Madrid in the Spanish capital—as UEFA's Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has identified a "prima facie violation of Article 14."

"Prima facie" is a legal concept meaning that a case appears valid based on initial evidence presented. This represents UEFA's method of implementing interim measures before reaching a final determination.

Full UEFA Statement

Complete UEFA Declaration

"Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour 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 behaviour.

"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."

Benfica, Prestianni Maintain Innocence

Benfica, Prestianni Assert Innocence

This surprising turn of events has been met with displeasure in Portugal. Prestianni has consistently proclaimed his innocence, posting on Instagram after the match: "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."

Benfica have adopted an even stronger position, claiming their player has been subjected to a "defamation campaign." The Portuguese club issued a concise statement following the provisional decision stating: "The club regrets being deprived of the player while the process is still under investigation and will appeal this UEFA decision, even though the deadlines in question are unlikely to have any practical effect on the second leg of the Champions League playoff.

"Sport Lisboa e Benfica also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating all forms of racism or discrimination, values ​​that are part of its historical identity and are reflected in its daily actions, its global community, the work of the Benfica Foundation, and major figures in the club's history, such as Eusébio."

This mention of Eusébio, Benfica's legendary player who was born in Mozambique before representing Portugal internationally, mirrors the unusual explanation offered by manager José Mourinho immediately following the match.

"When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person in the history of this club [Eusébio] was Black," Mourinho stated that evening. "This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. If in his mind there was something in relation to that, this is Benfica."

Kylian Mbappé remains certain about what he witnessed, stating after the match that Prestianni used the term "mono" (monkey) five times. Aurélien Tchouaméni subsequently disclosed that Prestianni told Vinicius Jr's teammates that he had been misunderstood and had actually used a homophobic slur.

This account was dismissed by Prestianni's representative, who stated earlier this week: "No one has officially spoken to us about the expected sanctions regarding this incident."