UEFA dismissed Benfica’s appeal to overturn Gianluca Prestianni’s provisional one-game suspension
The ban follows allegations the winger racially abused Vinicius Junior during the first leg in Lisbon
Prestianni is ruled out of Wednesday’s Champions League play-off return leg in Madrid
Champions League: UEFA Rejects Benfica Appeal As Prestianni Remains Suspended For Real Madrid Clash
UEFA has upheld Gianluca Prestianni’s one-match provisional suspension following alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior. The Benfica winger will miss the Champions League 2025-26 play-off second leg against Real Madrid
Summary
UEFA has rejected Benfica’s late appeal against the provisional suspension of Gianluca Prestianni, confirming that the Argentine winger will miss the Champions League 2025-26 knockout phase play-off second leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body had handed Prestianni a one-match provisional suspension on Monday, following allegations that he racially abused Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the first leg in Lisbon.
UEFA said on Wednesday that its appeal body had rejected Benfica’s last-ditch application to overturn the suspension for the crucial second leg at Santiago Bernabeu, upholding the original ruling.
Vinicius vs Prestianni: Racism Row Recapped
During the first leg at the Estadio da Luz, which Real Madrid won 1-0, controversy erupted after Vinicius scored what proved to be the decisive goal. The Brazilian international then celebrated near the Benfica corner flag, drawing strong reactions from the home supporters and players.
This led to a confrontation between Vinicius and Prestianni, where the Madrid forward accused his opponent of calling him a “monkey” while covering his mouth with his shirt.
The incident resulted in a stoppage of almost 10 minutes as referee Francois Letexier activated UEFA’s anti-racism protocol. Prestianni has since denied racially abusing Vinicius.
Why is Gianluca Prestianni banned for the Real Madrid vs Benfica match?
Gianluca Prestianni was handed a one-game provisional suspension by UEFA following allegations that he racially abused Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior. As a result, he will miss Benfica’s return leg against Real Madrid.
What was Vinicius Junior’s allegation against Gianluca Prestianni?
Vinicius claimed that Gianluca Prestianni had called him a “monkey” while covering his mouth with his shirt during their confrontation in the first leg in Lisbon.
Where to watch the Real Madrid vs Benfica match?
The Real Madrid vs Benfica, UEFA Champions League 2025-26 match will be live-streamed on the SonyLIV app and website in India. Television broadcasts will take place on the Sony TEN 2, 3, and 4 TV channels in the country.
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(With AP Inputs)
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