Benfica release new statement after claims Gianluca Prestianni admitted Vinicius Jr racismBenfica have issued a new statement to explain the stance of Gianluca Prestianni after he was suspended by UEFA following allegations he racially abused Real Madrid's Vinicius JuniorView 2 Images Gianluca Prestianni allegedly racially abused Vinicius Jr (Image: Soccrates Images, Getty Images)Benfica have denied that Gianluca Prestianni admitted to his team-mates that he had racially abused Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior. ‌The Benfica player publicly denied the allegations afterwards, saying his opponent had "misinterpreted" what he'd said after pulling his shirt over his mouth. It reads: "Sport Lisboa e Benfica categorically denies that the player Prestianni has communicated to the squad or the club's structure that he has uttered a racist insult to the player Vinicius Jr, from Real Madrid. UEFA suspended the Argentine for the second leg and is investigating. ‌Vinicius has been supported by his club and scored in the second leg to help Real progress.

Source: Daily Mirror February 27, 2026 01:29 UTC