Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni will remain suspended for tonight’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid after his UEFA ban was upheld.
Argentinian Prestianni allegedly racially abused Vinicius Junior in the first leg of the teams’ Champions League knockout play-off tie, but continued to play on in the 1-0 loss.
After the match, Prestianni insisted the slur he used was a homophobic one, not a racist one, eliciting a one-game suspension from UEFA that would apply to the return leg.
Prestianni's suspension could get worse
Benfica’s appeal against the decision has been thrown out a matter of hours before kick-off, with Benfica admitting the appeal would not ‘have any practical effect’ at such short notice.
However, the ban remains a provisional one, subject to an investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector, who has the authority to issue further punishment.
On Tuesday, the game was temporarily stopped in the 60th minute after Vinicius celebrated around the corner flag when he had put Los Blancos 1-0 up with a sumptuous strike from a narrow angle.
Prestianni then covered his mouth with his shirt when conversing with Vinicius at the centre circle. Something said between the pair elicited a shocked response from the goalscorer, who immediately alerted referee Francois Letexier to the alleged abuse.
Play was stopped for around 10 minutes in accordance with UEFA’s protocol, during which some fans in the Estadio da Luz were seen making racist gestures towards the winger.
After the match, Benfica manager Jose Mourinho suggested Vinicius was to blame for the abuse due to his inflammatory celebration. Mourinho is banned from the second leg for incendiary remarks towards the officials during the match.
Following the match, Benfica released sideline footage of the incident, seemingly suggesting that Vinicius would have been unable to hear the alleged slur since he was too far away from Prestianni, who would admit to using a derogatory remark after the match.
During his time in Spain, 25-year-old Vinicius has been subject to 20 separate racist incidents from fans and media personalities alike.
His continued stand against racism has unfortunately rendered him the most likely target for abuse, of which instances continue to occur.
Last weekend alone, four Premier League footballers were subject to racist abuse on social media.
