Benfica have denied reports that winger Gianluca Prestianni told team-mates he had used a racial insult towards Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr.
Portuguese media reported the 20-year-old had made an admission of guilt to team-mates, but the club issued a statement saying: “Sport Lisboa e Benfica categorically denies that the player Prestianni has communicated to the squad or the club’s structure that he has uttered a racist insult to the player Vinicius Jr, from Real Madrid. As has already been made public, the player apologised to his teammates for the incident that occurred during the match against Real Madrid, regretting the dimension and consequences of it and assuring everyone, as he has done since the first hour, that he is not racist.”
The incident occurred after Vinicius had given Real Madrid the lead in the Champions League knockout play-off first leg. The forward celebrated in front of the Benfica fans and was booked; he was then confronted by Prestianni, who pulled his shirt up over his mouth before saying something to Vinicius. The Brazilian ran to speak to referee François Letexier, who activated FIFA’s anti-racism protocol, crossed his arms in front of his face and temporarily stopped the match.
UEFA opened an investigation into alleged “discriminatory behaviour” after the game in Lisbon. An ethics inspector was appointed and recommended a provisional one-match suspension for Prestianni while the disciplinary process continues; UEFA says the interim ban is without prejudice. The inspector believes there is prima facie evidence that UEFA’s rules on discriminatory behaviour were breached, a charge that carries a minimum 10-game ban.
Benfica appealed the provisional suspension and Prestianni travelled and trained with the squad in Madrid, but the appeal was dismissed hours before the second leg at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid won the tie 3-1 on aggregate to reach the last 16, with Aurélien Tchouaméni calling the result “a victory for everyone who stands against racism”.
Benfica manager José Mourinho, who missed his usual media duties after being sent off in the first leg, was widely criticised for comments that appeared to defend Prestianni and question Vinicius’s goal celebrations. Mourinho told Amazon Prime after the first leg that he wanted to be “independent” amid differing accounts and said the club was not racist, citing Eusebio as an example. He also suggested stadium incidents happen frequently when Vinicius plays. Mourinho was later seen speaking to a visibly upset Vinicius; a member of the Benfica coaching staff was shown a red card during the stoppage. Play resumed after discussions, though the game was delayed again late on when objects were thrown as Vinicius prepared to take a corner.
Vinicius posted on Instagram after the first leg: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts over their mouths to demonstrate how weak they are.” He criticised what he called a “poorly executed protocol” and said he did not understand why he had received a yellow card for celebrating.
Prestianni denied making racist comments in an Instagram statement shared by Benfica, saying: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to 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 also posted footage of the incident on X, commenting that, given the distance, Real Madrid players could not have heard what they claimed.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé said after the Lisbon match that he heard Prestianni racially abuse Vinicius and argued the winger should not be allowed to play in the Champions League. Mbappé said he heard Prestianni “put his shirt here [over his mouth] to say Vinicius is a ****** five times” and stressed the need to set a strong example in elite competitions.
Vinicius has previously been the target of repeated racist abuse. In 2024, three Valencia supporters were jailed for eight months for racial abuse during a match in 2023 — the first such verdict in Spain — and were fined and banned from stadiums. Other incidents have led to convictions, fines and stadium sanctions, and raised ongoing debate about how authorities and clubs respond to racism in football.