UEFA hands Benfica’s Prestianni six match ban

UEFA has handed Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni a six-match suspension on Friday, April 24, after finding him guilty of “discriminatory (homophobic) conduct” in connection with an incident involving Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior during their Champions League knockout play-off clash at the Estádio da Luz

The controversy dates back to February 2026, during the first leg which Real Madrid won 1-0. After Vinícius Júnior scored and ran to celebrate near the corner flag, Prestianni confronted him while appearing to cover his mouth with his shirt.

Vinícius immediately alerted the referee, claiming he had been subjected to a racial slur, an allegation later supported by Kylian Mbappé in his post-match comments.

The referee responded by activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocol, which led to a temporary 10-minute suspension of the match as officials assessed the situation. Although no immediate red card was issued during the game, UEFA later launched a disciplinary investigation.

Prestianni was initially given a provisional one-match suspension, ruling him out of the return leg in Madrid while the probe continued.

During the investigation, the 20-year-old admitted to using a homophobic slur but denied any racial abuse, insisting his gesture of covering his mouth was simply while speaking.