NYON, Switzerland (AP) – Benfica were fined by UEFA on Wednesday. Racist abuse by fans Forward Vinicius Junior played against Real Madrid in the Champions League. allegedly subjected to racial abuse Written by Gianluca Prestiani.
UEFA’s investigation into Prestianni is ongoing, with a verdict announced on Wednesday on separate charges against Benfica for fan misconduct at a match in Lisbon on February 17.
UEFA said Benfica was fined 40,000 euros (about $46,000) for “illegal chants and gestures by two supporters.” The club must impose a one-year moratorium to prevent parts of the Stadium of Light from being closed for future European competitions.
Benfica previously suspended five fans who were under investigation for “racist and inappropriate behavior in the stands”.
Television footage showed some fans making monkey-like gestures after Madrid won 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League finals.
The match was suspended for nearly 10 minutes when Vinicius, after scoring and celebrating in front of Benfica fans, told the referee that Prestiani had called him a “monkey”.
Prestiani denied the charges, but pulled up his jersey and covered his mouth during the alleged insult.
The Argentina national team winger is He was suspended by UEFA. From the second leg, which took place in Madrid while he was under investigation. He will be suspended for 10 games starting from official UEFA matches.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
