Gianluca Prestianni has been handed a one-game ban as a provisional measure
Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni will not be available for the Portuguese club’s Champions League playoff game at Real Madrid after he was provisionally suspended by Uefa.
The player was involved in an incident last week in the first leg of the playoff game between the two clubs, with Vinicius Junior alleging that Prestianni had racially abused him.
Game was paused for nearly 10 minutes as the referee activated Fifa’s anti-racism protocol, and afterwards Uefa opened up an investigation. The suspension of the player is a provisional measure while the investigation continues.
Uefa said in a statement that the decision was “for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the Uefa Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to discriminatory behaviour”, and that it was “without prejudice to any ruling that the Uefa disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation”.
The situation is complicated given that Prestianni had covered his mouth while he spoke to Vinicius. Madrid players, including Kylian Mbappe, claimed they had heard Prestianni called Vinicius “monkey, but both the player and Benfica have denied it.
Following news of the ban, Benfica said: “The club regrets being deprived of the player while the process is still under investigation and will appeal this Uefa decision, even if the applicable timelines are unlikely to have any practical effect on the second leg of the Champions League playoff.
“Benfica also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating all forms of racism and discrimination – values that are part of its historical identity and reflected in its daily actions, its global community, the work of the Benfica Foundation, and major figures in the club’s history, such as Eusebio.”
