Benfica slam 'defamation campaign' against Gianluca Prestianni after Vinicius Junior clash & back up winger's claim he did not racially abuse Real Madrid star

As the players prepared to restart after Vinicius's 50th-minute strike, Prestianni covered his mouth and appeared to say something to the Brazilian, who instantly ran over to match referee Francois Letexier to report that he had been racially abused. Letexier then performed the gesture to confirm he was activating UEFA's anti-racism protocol and the game was delayed for 10 minutes for conversations between the officials, players and coaches to take place. Real held out for a 1-0 victory after play resumed, but ugly scenes continued on the pitch and in the tunnel.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe later claimed that Prestianni had called Vinicius a monkey "five times" and called on the winger to be banned from the Champions League. Vinicius, meanwhile, said in an emotional post on Instagram: "Racists are above all cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have by their side the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish. I don’t like appearing in situations like this, ­especially after a great victory when the headlines should to be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary."

Prestianni has, however, denied any wrongdoing in his own social media statement, which reads: "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."

UEFA has reacted to the incident by appointing an ethics and disciplinary inspector to gather evidence from speaking to those involved. Benfica have welcomed the investigation while giving Prestianni their full backing in an official statement on their website: "Sport Lisboa e Benfica views with a spirit of complete collaboration, transparency, openness and a sense of clarity the steps announced today by UEFA, following the alleged case of racism that occurred in the game against Real Madrid. The Club reaffirms, clearly and unequivocally, its historical and unwavering commitment to defending the values of equality, respect, and inclusion, which align with the core values of its foundation and which have Eusébio as their greatest symbol. Sport Lisboa e Benfica reiterates that it fully supports and believes in the version presented by the player Gianluca Prestianni, whose conduct while serving the Club has always been guided by respect for opponents, institutions, and the principles that define Benfica's identity. The Club regrets the defamation campaign to which the player has been subjected."

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho, who was sent off for dissent late in the game at the Estadio da Luz, has also stirred up controversy by criticising Vinicius for dancing to celebrate his stunning goal, which gave Real a narrow lead to take into the second leg of the tie at the Santiago Bernabeu. The former Madrid manager also insisted that Benfica are not a racist club in a lengthy rant.

"I do not want to say that Vinícius is a liar and nor do I want to say that my player is an incredible boy," he said. "They have decided to go their way, their perspective; I don’t want to go there. I said to Vinícius [at first]: You scored a goal that was out of this world, why do you celebrate like this? Why not celebrate like [Alfredo] Di Stéfano, Pelé, Eusébio, just with the happiness of being a player from another world?

"When he was arguing about racism, I told him that the biggest person in the history of this club is Black [Eusebio]. This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. If in his mind, there was something racist — this is Benfica. There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens. Always."

The Athletic states that UEFA's investigation could take weeks to complete, meaning Prestianni is likely to be available for selection again for the second leg next Wednesday. If found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius, the Benfica player could face a ban of up to ten matches. 

Vinicius has been the subject of racist abuse several times in his career, including in early January, when a banana was thrown at him during Madrid's Copa del Rey tie against Albacete. Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa expressed his sadness at seeing Vinicius at the centre of another racism storm on Tuesday night, telling reporters: "The sad thing is that this isn’t the first time. He’s not only a spectacular player, but also a great person and a great guy loved by everyone. As soon as you meet him, you quickly realize what a good person he is and how many times he’s had to fight against situations like this. He’s always been a fighter, he always will be, and we’ll always be by his side."