Benfica’s appeal against the provisional suspension handed to Gianluca Prestianni has been rejected, meaning the Argentine will miss the second leg of the Champions League knockout round play-off against Real Madrid on Wednesday night. The 20-year-old has been accused of racially abusing Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior during the first game last week.
Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt when talking to Vinicius during the first leg last week. The Brazil international quickly alerted referee Francois Letexier, who initiated the anti-racism protocol, prompting a ten-minute delay before the game restarted.
Benfica have stood by Prestianni, who has maintained that Vinicius misheard what he said, while manager Jose Mourinho said after the match that the Portuguese club could not be racist because club legend Eusebio was black. His comments were widely criticised by figures throughout European football.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Prestianni’s defence would be that he used homophobic language rather than racist slurs, alleging he had been provoked by Vinicius who apparently mocked him because of his height. Such language is still included in UEFA’s anti-discrimination rules and carries a hefty suspension if a person is found guilty.
A statement from UEFA reads: “The appeal lodged by SL Benfica is dismissed. Consequently, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body’s decision of 23 February 2026 is confirmed.
“Mr. Gianluca Prestianni remains provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible.”
The decision means Prestianni will play no part in the second leg and whether he will be in attendance at the Bernabeu for the second leg remains to be seen.
The winger had trained with the rest of his team-mates at Real Madrid’s home ground in the build-up to the fixture, though he was not involved in Benfica’s 3-0 victory over AVS Futebol SAD on Saturday over the weekend.
Several Real Madrid players came out in support of Vinicius in the immediate aftermath of the incident, while manager Alvaro Arbeloa has urged UEFA to send a strong message in the fight against racism.
He said: “We have a great opportunity to mark a turning point in the fight against racism. UEFA, which has always been a champion of this fight against racism, has the opportunity to do more than just leave it as a slogan, or a nice banner before matches. And let’s hope – or rather, I hope – that they seize this opportunity.
“As we’ve said, as I’ve said…on playing at a high level, putting on a great performance. On doing things right on the pitch and delivering a great performance so we can win the game. That’s what we’re most focused on. That’s where we’re putting all our energy and effort. And that’s what we want to see tomorrow. The rest, obviously, isn’t our concern. Or at least, it’s not up to us to make those kinds of decisions. That has to be UEFA’s.”
