Benfica star Gianluca Prestiani will reportedly claim that the Real Madrid star directed a homophobic slur at Vinicius Junior after he called him a “dwarf monkey” during an argument.
Vinicius Junior says he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during an altercation at Tuesday night’s Champions League match (Image: Getty Images)
Gianluca Prestiani will claim he directed a homophobic slur at Vinicius Junior in retaliation for the Real Madrid star calling him a midget or a dwarf last week.
Vinicius Junior has claimed that Prestiani racially abused him during Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs last Tuesday. The Brazil star left the field for 10 minutes after reporting the allegations, and Prestiani was subsequently provisionally suspended by UEFA, which is investigating the incident.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé have claimed the Real Madrid forward was called a monkey, and it is thought Prestiani could be handed a 10-match ban if found guilty of the allegations.
The Times reported that Prestiani is poised to claim that he used the homophobic slur during an argument with Vinicius Jr., calling him a “malicon” rather than a monkey, after Vinicius Jr. called the 5-foot-5 midfielder a dwarf or midget.
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read more: Real Madrid star hits back at Jose Mourinho over comments made by Vinicius Juniorread more: Vinicius Junior “will decide” whether Real Madrid will abandon the match against Benfica, in new strong statements
It has been pointed out that Prestiani’s claims are unlikely to help him in his defence, as racial abuse and homophobic language are both breaches of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations. Both offenses result in long suspensions, but mocking a player’s physical appearance, such as height, is not covered by the rule.
Prestiani was seen covering his mouth with his shirt during the exchange with Vinicius Junior, but the Real Madrid attacker was visibly distressed and went to speak to the referee.
Prestiani is accused of racial abuse towards Vinicius Jr.
Star teammate Mbappe claimed immediately after the match that he heard Prestiani call Vinicius Junior a monkey five times.
The Frenchman said: “I called him a racist because I think he is a racist. He tried to hide it behind his shirt, but there was no lie on his face. A young player should not have the freedom to say something like this on a football field.”
Vinicius Jr. left the field and the game was suspended for 10 minutes.
Prestiani will miss Wednesday night’s second leg between the two teams as they battle to qualify for the round of 16 in the Champions League.
However, he is still on tour with the Portuguese giants in Spain and Benfica president Rui Costa continues to insist Prestiani is not a racist.
“Nothing has been proven and the player’s absence from this game is not justified,” Costa said on Tuesday. “Prestiani has been labeled a racist, but he is in no way a racist, I can guarantee you that.”
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