Benfica will not be allowed to use Gianluca Prestiani in the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Real Madrid after receiving an interim ban from UEFA.
Gianluca Prestiani traveled to Madrid with his Benfica teammates
Gianluca Prestiani traveled with Benfica for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Real Madrid despite being suspended by UEFA. The Argentine player is accused of racially abusing Real star Vinicius (Vini) Junior during the first leg of last week’s knockout rounds.
Mirror Football understands Prestiani could face a 10-game ban if found guilty, but Benfica insist Prestiani has done nothing wrong. The 20-year-old flew to Madrid on Tuesday morning with the rest of his squad and was given a standing ovation from fans at Lisbon airport, according to Portuguese newspaper A Bola.
Club president Rui Costa told reporters at the airport in a strong statement that the decision to suspend the 20-year-old was “unjust”. “With this situation coming our way, we cannot appoint Prestiani,” he said. “Benfica stands united behind Prestiani.” He is our player, but our support goes beyond that. Prestiani is not a racist, but he is being punished as if he were. As such, he deserves our full support.
read more: John Obi Mikel tears up at Jose Mourinho after Vinicius Jr. racism row – ‘He was a mess’read more: UEFA suspends Benfica star Gianluca Prestiani over Vinicius Junior racism scandal
“We understand that nothing has been proven and the player’s absence from this game is not justified. I was not on the pitch to find out what was said or not said. All I can say is that I believe in the player. I waited a week to speak because the investigation was ongoing and it made no sense to comment before a decision was made.”
“We were hoping something definitive would happen, but in the end it was just an interim suspension. We have always kept our fans informed about what was going on.”
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Prestiani, who denies racism towards Vinicius, is expected to miss the second leg of the play-offs following last week’s ugly scenes. Nevertheless, the forward is acting with the team and Benfica intend to appeal the provisional suspension in the hope of a ruling allowing them to play with him.
UEFA’s decision was made public on Monday after the governing body launched an investigation into the allegations. Real Madrid and Benfica submitted evidence before UEFA issued a statement confirming the decision.
Following Prestiani’s provisional suspension, Benfica said in a statement: “The club regrets that the player was stripped while the proceedings are still under investigation and, although the deadline in question is unlikely to have a material impact on the second leg of the Champions League play-offs, we intend to appeal this UEFA decision.”
“Benfica also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating all forms of racism and discrimination, values that are part of its historical identity and reflected in its daily actions, in the international community, in the work of the Benfica Foundation and in key figures in the club’s history, such as Eusebio.”
The incident occurred during the first leg of the Champions League play-offs in Lisbon last week.
Kylian Mbappe was one of his Real Madrid teammates to support Vinicius after he reported the incident to referee François Letissier. Trent Alexander-Arnold also abused the Benfica player after the match, calling his actions “disgusting”.
Argentina international Prestianni claimed Mbappe had “misunderstood what he thought he heard” and claimed he was receiving support from the rebellious club after the incident. Manager Jose Mourinho also came under heavy criticism after criticizing Vinicius’ celebration.
Mourinho said: “Something is wrong because it happens in every stadium. In every stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens. Always. What I’m saying is it was a fantastic 50 minutes of football, watched by millions of people around the world. A crazy goal, an absolutely crazy goal and then it’s game over.”
Following backlash over his comments, the 63-year-old took the drastic decision not to speak to the press before or after the second leg.
Vini, who scored a stunning goal in the first leg, spoke out on social media following the abuse allegations. “Racists are, above all else, cowards. They need to pull their shirts over their mouths to prove how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, in theory, are obligated to punish them,” he wrote.
“What happened here is nothing new in my life or in the life of my family. I got a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t know why. On the other hand, it didn’t help anything, it was just a poor procedure. I don’t like appearing in situations like this, especially when the headlines have to be about Real Madrid after a big win, but it’s necessary.”
Meanwhile, Prestiani denied the allegations and insisted he had done nothing wrong, despite pulling his shirt over his mouth before making the comment directed at Vini.
“I would like to make it clear that I never directly directed any racist insults towards Vinicius Junior. Unfortunately, the player misunderstood what he thought he heard.” “I have never been a racist and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Real Madrid won 1-0 in the first leg in Portugal, which was marred by the incident, and will go into Wednesday’s clash knowing they will need more than a draw to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages.
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