Benfica issue statement on Gianluca Prestianni amid reports Benfica winger admitted using a racial insult towards Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr

The Portuguese club, per Sky Sports, have denied reports that Prestianni told his team-mates that he did use a racial slur against Vinicius in the first leg of their tie. 

Their statement read:  "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.

"As has already been made public, the player apologised to his teammates for the incident that occurred during the match against Real Madrid, regretting the dimension and consequences of it and assuring everyone, as he has done since the first hour, that he is not racist."

Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt when talking to Vinicius during the first leg last week. The Brazil international quickly alerted referee Francois Letexier, who initiated the anti-racism protocol, prompting a ten-minute delay before the game restarted. Benfica have stood by Prestianni, who has maintained that Vinicius misheard what he said, while manager Jose Mourinho claimed after the match that the Portuguese club could not be racist because club legend Eusebio was black. His comments were widely criticised by figures throughout European football.

Prestianni was provisionally suspended for the second leg against Real, which Benfica lost as Vinicius scored to confirm Los Blancos' place in the last 16.

UEFA issued a statement which read: “The appeal lodged by SL Benfica is dismissed. Consequently, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body’s decision of 23 February 2026 is confirmed. 

"Mr. Gianluca Prestianni remains provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible.”

On Tuesday, it was reported that Prestianni's defence would be that he used homophobic language rather than racist slurs, alleging he had been provoked by Vinicius who apparently mocked him because of his height. Such language is still included in UEFA's anti-discrimination rules and carries a hefty suspension if a person is found guilty.

Vinicius scored the decisive goal as Real beat Benfica 2-1 to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory over the two legs. And his team-mate, Aurelien Tchouameni, who scored Real's first, dedicated the win to "everyone who stands against racism". 

"I think there are more important things than this match, than football," the Frenchman stated. "Vinícius keeps his confidence and he keeps focused on what he needs to do. I think they made the right decision by not letting the boy [Prestianni] play this match. Like I said, there are things more important than football and this is a victory for all of us."

England international Trent Alexander-Arnold praised his teammate’s mental fortitude, noting that the external noise had not affected the winger’s preparation. The former Liverpool man revealed that Vinícius had remained "very chilled" and "very relaxed" throughout the tense week. "He didn't need to score to send a message or show his mentality," Alexander-Arnold explained. "He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone because he's shown time and time again how good he is. He steps up when we need him the most. He knows his quality and what he brings to the team."

Benfica will wait to discover UEFA's sanction, Prestianni faces a 10-game ban, or more, if found guilty. The Portuguese club are currently third in Liga NOS, while Real are second in LaLiga. The former's next fixture comes against Gil Vicente; Real face Getafe.