After the complaint over an alleged racist insult against Vinícius Júnior in the clash between Benfica and Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs, UEFA decided to provisionally suspend Gianluca Prestianni. The measure will prevent him from playing the second leg, scheduled for this Wednesday at Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
According to the European body, the Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body adopted the decision after receiving a preliminary report from the appointed inspector to analyze what happened in the match played on February 17 at the Estádio da Luz. The ruling is based on an alleged "prima facie" violation of Article 14 of the Disciplinary Regulations, which sanctions discriminatory behavior.
The incident occurred after a goal by the Brazilian forward, who reported to the referee that he had been called "monkey" by the Argentine player, an accusation that was also publicly supported by Real Madrid players such as Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Prestianni denied the events and the Portuguese club released a video to argue that the Madrid players were far from the scene.
