Benfica's Prestianni banned for homophobic conduct in Real Madrid tie
Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has been given a six-game ban by Uefa for homophobic conduct during their Champions League knockout play-off match with Real Madrid in February. The match at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon was halted for 10 minutes after Real's Vinicius Jr accused Prestianni of racially abusing him. Prestianni, 20, denied making a racist comment and said Vinicius misheard him.
Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said that Prestianni told him he had in fact directed a homophobic comment towards the Brazil forward. Argentina's Prestianni will be banned for two further games, having already served a provisional one-match ban, with the other three suspended for two years. European football's governing body Uefa has made a request to its world counterpart Fifa to extend the ban worldwide.
Vinicius had put Real 1-0 up in the second half against Benfica, before being booked for an excessive celebration. Following an interaction with Prestianni, 25-year-old Brazilian Vinicius ran over to referee Francois Letexier while gesturing towards the opposition player. Letexier then made the crossed arms gesture, which was introduced by Fifa in May 2024, to signal racist abuse.
Vinicius then walked off the pitch and was followed by his Real Madrid team-mates. After the match he wrote on his Instagram account: "Racists are, above all, cowards. " Prestianni would have faced a minimum 10-match ban from European competition if he had been found guilty of racist abuse.
Benfica defended their player following the incident, claiming there was a "defamation campaign" against him, adding they "fully support" and believe his version of events. However, coach Jose Mourinho said Prestianni's career under him would be "over" if the abuse was proven. Two weeks later, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said players who cover their mouths when speaking to opponents during confrontations should be sent off.