Feb 23, 2026, 04:05 PM
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In UEFA's statement confirming that Gianluca Prestianni would be provisionally suspended for Benfica's second leg Champions League tie with Real Madrid, a little-known Latin term was used by European football's governing body.
Prestianni was accused of racist abuse by Vinícius Júnior in last week's first leg. He has denied the allegation but will now miss the second leg, pending a UEFA investigation where he could face up to a 10-game ban if found guilty.
And within UEFA's explanation of the suspension and why Prestianni could no longer play in a game he would normally be available for, they cited the term "prima facie."
So what does it actually mean?
- Prestianni provisionally suspended for Benfica's second leg tie with Madrid
What did UEFA say?
A UEFA statement read: "Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Playoff match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour.
"This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies. Further information about this matter will be made available in due course."
Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racist abuse by Vinícius Júnior last week. Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP via Getty Images
What does prima facie mean?
A Latin term meaning "at first sight" or "at first look." This refers to the standard of proof under which the party with the burden of proof need only present enough evidence to create a rebuttable presumption that the matter asserted is true.
In other words, the burden of proof needs to be enough to create the assumption is true, which in this case is Vinícius's allegation towards Prestianni.
A prima facie standard of proof is relatively low. It is far less demanding than the preponderance of the evidence, clear and convincing evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt standards that are also commonly used. A prima facie standard of proof may be used in a variety of settings.
For example, courts have held that a party who seeks discovery of purportedly privileged documents under the crime-fraud exception to the attorney-client privilege must make a prima facie showing that the contested documents were created in furtherance of a crime or fraud.
Once the party seeking discovery makes this showing, the resisting party must then present its own rebuttal evidence showing that the contested documents were not created in furtherance of a crime or fraud.
Definition courtesy of UK Practical Law.
Has this come up before?
Well yes. Back in 2021 Rangers' Glen Kamara accused Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela of racist abuse in a Europa League game.
UEFA found Kudela guilty and upheld a 10-match ban against him after finding evidence of "racist behaviour," despite an appeal.
Kamara was also hit with a three-match ban for assaulting Kudela in the tunnel after the game.
UEFA's initial statement at the time of the incident also referenced "prima facie" when provisionally suspending Kudela.
"In accordance with Article 49 DR, the CEDB today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Ondřej Kúdela for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 15(1)(a)(iv) DR, without prejudice to any ruling that the CEDB may subsequently make on the alleged violation of Article 14(1) DR. Further information about this case will be made available once the CEDB has taken a decision in due course," UEFA said.
Additional reporting from ESPN's Mark Ogden contributed to this report.