UEFA Suspends Prestianni Over Alleged Racist Remark At Vinicius Jr Ahead Of Madrid Clash
Gianluca Prestianni will miss Benfica’s upcoming Champions League meeting with Real Madrid after UEFA imposed a provisional one-game suspension over claims he racially insulted Vinicius Junior. The disciplinary action comes as UEFA continues to examine the alleged incident involving the Real Madrid winger during last week’s first-leg encounter in Portugal. The match at the Estadio da Luz was temporarily halted for 11 minutes after Vinicius alerted referee Francois Letexier to an alleged offensive comment. Television footage captured the Brazilian forward explaining the situation to the official, stating that a remark had been directed at him by Prestianni. However, the 20-year-old Benfica player has strongly rejected the accusation, maintaining that the Madrid star “misinterpreted what he thought he heard.” Real Madrid head into the return leg with a slender 1-0 aggregate lead.