Vinicius Jr Faces Fresh Investigation Just Days After Explosive Benfica Racism Controversy
Four days following UEFA's launch of an inquiry into the racist comment Benfica striker Gianluca Prestianni reportedly directed at Vinicius Junior during Tuesday's match, La Liga announced they were examining a new incident where Osasuna supporters appeared to shout "Vinicius, die" during Saturday's league encounter with Real Madrid.
It has been an extremely challenging week for Vinicius Jr, though sadly, this is nothing new for him.
The chants at El Sadar mark the 27th documented case of racist abuse targeting Real Madrid's star attacker that La Liga has recorded since October 2021.
Vinicius Jr faced jeers immediately upon exiting Madrid's team bus for the weekend league fixture and endured shouts of "tonto"—idiot—and "Vinicius, balon de playa"—Vinicius, beach ball, a mockery of the Ballon d'Or he lost to Manchester City's Rodri in 2024. Unfortunately, this is typical treatment for the 25-year-old during away matches in Spain. However, chants of "Vinicius, muerete"—Vinicius, die—mark an escalation that has prompted La Liga to take action.
Spain's premier division announced following the end of a 2–1 loss for Real Madrid—despite Vinicius Jr's second-half leveler—that they were examining the incident. As usual, historical precedent doesn't favor the player.
Vinicius Jr All Too Familiar With Systemic Failings
Vinicius Jr All Too Familiar With Systemic Failings
In February 2023, after a 2–0 victory for Real Madrid at Osasuna's stadium, a social media video showed one home supporter yelling "at least the f---ing Black didn't score." La Liga filed a complaint but the Pamplona court—where Osasuna is located—rejected the case in 2024 citing the "inability to identify the offender."
Saturday's game wasn't the first occasion El Sadar was heard chanting "Vinicius, die." The identical complaint was lodged after a March 2024 match. A portion of the crowd was filmed making these comments on television, yet the incident was omitted from the referee's official report. Real Madrid accused the official, Juan Martínez Munuera, of "negligence" but the Spanish football federation supported the referee who "can only record in his report incidents that happened on the playing field."
Osasuna rejected claims of any racist chanting and criticized the insults made "by a small group" of fans.
Gianluca Prestianni's Agent Denies Reports of UEFA Testimony
Gianluca Prestianni's Agent Denies Reports of UEFA Testimony
Benfica's Prestianni was alleged to have called Vinicius Jr a monkey during the midweek Champions League match in Lisbon—an accusation that Kylian Mbappé strongly backed and Prestianni refutes.
Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni subsequently disclosed that Prestianni informed Vinicius Jr's teammates that he had been misunderstood. Rather than saying "mono" (monkey), he claimed he used a homophobic epithet.
It was reported by ESPN that Prestianni employed this same explanation while giving testimony in UEFA's probe of the incident. The Argentine winger's representative, Gastón Fernández, firmly denied that assertion.
"Everything published about what Gianluca Prestiani stated during the UEFA investigation is false. No one has officially contacted us regarding the anticipated sanctions concerning this incident," Fernández told winwin.
"Following Benfica's statement, we no longer want to pursue this issue. We have already explained that what occurred was not as they attempted to depict it regarding Gianluca. Moving forward, our sole focus is ensuring peace and comfort for the player."
Prestianni was absent from Benfica's 3–0 league win over AVS on Saturday due to yellow card accumulation but is anticipated to be available for Wednesday's Champions League return leg at the Bernabéu. Should he play, Prestianni might face the kind of hostility that Vinicius Jr has become so tiringly familiar with.