UEFA suspends player accused of racial discrimination against Vinicius

Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has been provisionally banned for one game by UEFA following allegations from Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior that he engaged in racist behavior during their recent Champions League encounter.

This decision means Prestianni will miss the upcoming Champions League play-off second leg in Madrid on Wednesday. The ban is temporary, pending the conclusion of a full investigation conducted by UEFA’s ethics and disciplinary inspector.

UEFA stated that further sanctions may be imposed once the investigation is complete.

According to reports, during the first leg in Lisbon last week, Vinicius informed referee Francois Letexier that Prestianni had directed racist insults at him. The match at Estadio da Luz was paused for about 10 minutes in the second half after Vinicius raised the issue with the referee. The Brazilian player and his teammates temporarily left the pitch before the game resumed. This incident occurred shortly after Vinicius, 25, scored a spectacular goal and received a yellow card for celebrating in front of the Benfica supporters' section.