Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni has been provisionally suspended for Wednesday's Champions League knockout round playoff second leg against Real Madrid at Bernabeu.
UEFA are currently investigating an allegation from Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior that he was racially abused by Prestianni during last week's first leg in Portugal.
It has been confirmed by UEFA that Prestianni has been provisionally suspended for Wednesday's clash in the Spanish capital, although Benfica have revealed that they have already launched an appeal.
Should Prestianni be found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius, the Argentine could be suspended for 10 matches.
© Imago / Atlantico Press
UEFA confirm Prestianni suspension for Champions League clash
"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 Play-off 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," read a statement from UEFA.
“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”.
Benfica said in a later statement: “The club regrets being deprived of the player while the process is still under investigation and will appeal this Uefa decision, even if the applicable timelines are unlikely to have any practical effect on the second leg of the Champions League playoff.
“Benfica also reaffirms its unwavering commitment to combating all forms of racism and discrimination – values that are part of its historical identity and reflected in its daily actions, its global community, the work of the Benfica Foundation, and major figures in the club’s history, such as Eusebio.”
© Imago / ZUMA Press Wire
Benfica appeal Prestianni suspension for second leg at Bernabeu
Vinicius alleges that Prestianni racially abused him shortly after the Brazilian had scored the only goal of the first leg in Portugal last week.
Referee Francois Letexier paused the match for 11 minutes, with FIFA’s anti-racism protocols being activated, but Prestianni remained on the field as the match resumed.
"Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are," said Vinicius on Instagram after the match.
"But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team's life.
"I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose."
Benfica and Prestianni are now awaiting the outcome of UEFA's investigation, but the Argentine will not be involved in Wednesday's second leg with Real Madrid.