UEFA has opted to rule Gianluca Prestianni out of Wednesday’s game at Real Madrid
Benfica have announced they will appeal UEFA’s decision to provisionally suspend forward Gianluca Prestianni for one game, ruling him out of the Champions League clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday night.
UEFA opted to hand Prestianni a one-game ban while a fuller investigation is carried out into claims the Argentine racially abused Madrid winger Vinícius Jr during the first leg of their play-off clash in Lisbon last week.
Prestianni could yet face a much tougher sanction if he is found guilty.
Unhappy Benfica set to appeal UEFA verdict
The 20-year-old has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and Benfica swiftly announced they would appeal UEFA’s ruling even if it is unlikely to result in the player being available for the game in Madrid in a little over 48 hours.
A club statement read: “Benfica took note of UEFA’s decision to apply a provisional suspension of one game to its player Gianluca Prestianni, as part of the ongoing investigation regarding the incident that occurred in the game against Real Madrid.
“The club regrets being deprived of the player while the case is still under investigation and will appeal this UEFA decision, even if the deadlines in question will hardly have any practical effect on the second-leg of the Champions League play-off.
“Benfica also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating any form of racism or discrimination, values that are part of its historical identity and that are reflected in its daily action, in its global community, in the work of the Benfica Foundation and in larger figures in the history of the club, such as Eusébio.”
UEFA decision a surprise
It has been reported UEFA’s decision to suspend Prestianni came as a surprise to both Benfica and Madrid.
A UEFA statement read: “Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour.
“This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies.”
What is Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations?
The article relates to the committing of an act that could be deemed to be discriminatory.
UEFA states: “Any entity or person subject to these regulations who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on whatever grounds, including skin colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, incurs a suspension lasting at least 10 matches or a specified period of time, or any other appropriate sanction.
That means if the full investigation determines Prestianni is guilty of racially abusing Vinícius Jr, he could still be sanctioned with a 10-game ban.
What happened in the first leg in Lisbon?
Vinicius Jr has alleged Prestianni called him a “monkey” in the immediate aftermath of the Brazil international putting the visitors ahead with a stunning strike six minutes into the second half.
The referee halted the game for around eight minutes while Vinicius articulated his case but the player was persuaded to continue the game.
Prestianni held his shirt over his mouth while making the alleged remark and has denied any wrong doing, telling his accusers to “stop inventing things”.
