UCL: Prestianni releases statement, denies racist abuse allegation against Vinicius
Gianluca Prestianni has publicly denied racially abusing Vinicius Junior after their sides met in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The accusation arose during Benfica’s 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid at Estadio da Luz. Vinicius scored the only goal of the match early in the second half, cutting in from the left before curling beyond goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
Shortly after celebrating, the Brazilian approached referee Francois Letexier, alleging that Prestianni had directed a racist comment at him.
The official activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol, crossing his arms to signal the complaint and halting the game for approximately 10 minutes.
Match paused after allegation
Players from both teams briefly left the field as the situation was addressed.
The match later resumed, with Prestianni continuing until the 81st minute before being substituted by manager Jose Mourinho. Mourinho himself was later sent off for dissent.
After the final whistle, Vinicius posted on social media: “Racists are, above all, cowards.”
Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe also spoke out, claiming: “What I saw is very clear: number 25 said five times to Vini that you are a monkey.”
He added: “This kind of behaviour is unacceptable… It’s wonderful to play in the Champions League, but showing this image is terrible for world football.”
Prestianni responds
In the early hours of Wednesday, Prestianni issued a statement via Instagram denying the allegation.
“I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at Vinícius Jr, who unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard. I have never been racist toward anyone,” he wrote.
Mourinho said post-match that he had heard differing accounts from both players and wanted to remain “independent” in his assessment.
UEFA is expected to review the incident. The second leg of the tie will take place next week, with the winner advancing to the Champions League Round of 16.
