Real Madrid have banned a supporter who allegedly performed a 'Nazi salute' before their Champions League play-off second leg clash with Benfica. The La Liga powerhouses swiftly identified the individual and ejected him from the Bernabeu, and are now pursuing additional measures to expel the fan permanently.
Madrid advanced to the last-16 of the Champions League, holding onto their advantage from the first leg, claiming a 2-1 win courtesy of strikes from Aurelien Tchouameni and Vinicius Junior. Rafa Silva had provided Benfica with optimism, but Los Blancos prevailed 3-1 on aggregate.
However, the victory was overshadowed by an abhorrent act from the terraces captured on film. Whilst numerous supporters held scarves aloft, one fan repeatedly performed a fascist salute.
Real Madrid stated: "Real Madrid CF announces that it has urgently requested the club's Disciplinary Committee to initiate immediate expulsion proceedings against the member who was caught on television cameras making the Nazi salute in the area where the Supporters' Stand is located, moments before the start of the match between Real Madrid and Benfica.
"This member was located by club security personnel moments after he appeared on the broadcast and was immediately expelled from the Santiago Bernabéu stadium."
"Real Madrid condemns these types of gestures and expressions that incite violence and hatred in sport and in society."
However, this was merely the latest scandal to tarnish the Champions League encounter. The initial leg of the clash in Benfica saw Vinicius Jr claim that he had been subjected to racial abuse by Gianluca Prestianni.
The midfielder, who refutes the allegation, received a one-match suspension which resulted in him missing the game in Spain. Following the announcement of this decision, Prestianni vented his frustration on X before swiftly deleting the post.
"Punching someone off the ball is allowed, it's seen, and there's no sanction," he penned. "Punishing without proof is allowed, it's seen. They don't even try to hide it with Real anymore. They're shameful."
During his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Real's head coach Alvaro Arbeloa called on UEFA to "seize this opportunity" to demonstrate its commitment to combating racism in light of the alleged abuse endured by Vinicius. He stated: "We are facing a great opportunity to make a significant step forward in the fight against racism.
"UEFA has always been a strong advocate in the fight against racism, and now they have the opportunity not to leave it as just a slogan or a nice banner before matches. I hope they seize this opportunity."