SPORTSWORLD.AM
UEFA has provisionally suspended Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni for one match for an incident involving Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior in the first leg of their Champions League play-off, the European football body announced on Monday. Prestianni will now miss the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, with Real Madrid leading 1-0 from the first leg in Lisbon.
The Argentine had covered his mouth with his shirt and insulted Vinicius Junior in the first leg, shortly after the Brazilian opened the scoring, but denied accusations from the striker and several other Real Madrid players that his insult was racist. UEFA said a longer ban could be imposed, while the governing body's ethics and disciplinary committee is continuing its investigation. "This does not prejudice any further decisions taken by UEFA's disciplinary bodies, subject to the conclusion of the current investigation and
"After the appropriate submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies," the statement on the provisional suspension read. Benfica has defended its player since the incident and has now confirmed that it will appeal the decision. "The club regrets having suspended the player while the process is still under investigation and will appeal this decision by UEFA, even if the applicable deadlines are unlikely to have any practical impact on the second leg of the Champions League play-off," the club said. "Benfica also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating racism and all forms of discrimination, values that form part of its historical identity and are reflected in its daily actions, its global community, the work of the Benfica Foundation and important figures in the club's history, such as Eusebio."
Referee François Letexier abandoned the first leg after FIFA's anti-racism protocols were invoked. Video footage appeared to show Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe confronting Prestianni and calling him a "bloody racist", while broadcast footage appeared to show Benfica fans imitating a monkey. Prestianni denied the accusation, saying Vinicius had "misunderstood what he thought he heard". Mbappe told reporters that he had heard Prestianni make the same racist remark towards Vinicius several times, which also made Real's French midfielder Aurélien Chouman. Mbappe said he was ready to leave the pitch, but Vinicius convinced him to continue playing. "We cannot accept that in the best football competition in Europe there is a player who behaves like this. This boy (Prestianni) no longer deserves to play in the Champions League," Mbappe told reporters. Vinicius later made a statement on social media expressing his disappointment. "Racists are, first and foremost, cowards. They have to cover their mouths with their shirts to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, in theory, are obliged to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new, neither in my life nor in the life of my family," Vinicius wrote.
Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out said the focus on Vinicius' goal celebration, rather than acknowledging the report, was a form of "gaslighting" after Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said he believed Vinicius had provoked the crowd. "This approach not only harms the individual affected, but also sends the wrong message to people around the world who might find themselves in similar situations," Kick It Out said. Mourinho will not be on the bench for the second leg after being shown a red card for protesting in the first leg.