Benfica have released a new statement explaining their position after Gianluca Prestiani was suspended by UEFA for his alleged racism towards Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior.
Gianluca Prestiani allegedly racially abused Vinicius Junior (Image: Soccrates Images, Getty Images)
Benfica have denied that Gianluca Prestiani admitted to teammates that he racially abused Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior. Prestiani was suspended for Wednesday night’s Champions League second leg against Real after UEFA launched an investigation into the allegations.
Real progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League with a 3-1 aggregate win, despite an accident in the first leg in Portugal. Vinicius reported to the referee that Prestiani had used a racial slur after he scored the first goal and went out to celebrate.
The Benfica player has since publicly denied the allegations, saying he had “misunderstood” his comments after his opponent pulled his shirt over his mouth. However, Portuguese media reported that the 20-year-old later admitted guilt and apologized to his teammates.
Benfica have now issued a new statement addressing these claims. “Sport Lisbon and Benfica categorically deny that Prestiani communicated to the team and club organization that he had made a racist insult towards Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior.
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“As previously announced, the player apologized to his team-mates for the incident that occurred during the match against Real Madrid, deplored the scale and consequences of it and assured everyone, as he has done since the first hour, that he is not a racist.”
In his first post on social media, Prestiani said: “To be clear, I never directly directed any racist insults towards the player 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.”
UEFA has suspended the Argentine for the second leg and an investigation is underway. If found guilty, he could be suspended for 10 games.
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Gianluca Prestiani allegedly racially abused Vinicius Junior (Image: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Following UEFA’s decision, Benfica said in a statement: “The club regrets that the player was stripped while the procedure is still under investigation and intends to appeal against this UEFA decision, even though the deadline in question is unlikely to have a material impact on the second leg of the Champions League play-offs.”
“Benfica also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating all forms of racism and discrimination, values that are part of its historical identity and are 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.”
Vinicius was supported by the club and contributed to Real’s breakthrough by scoring a goal in the second leg. “Racists are cowards first and foremost. They need to put 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 on social media.
“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.”
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