Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior issues statement accusing 'coward' Gianluca Prestianni of racial slur as Kylian Mbappe calls for Benfica winger to receive lifetime Champions League ban

Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout stage play-off tie but the game was overshadowed by racism allegations. Vinicus Jr scored a superb winning goal but was booked for his celebrations. An altercation between Vinicius and Prestianni subsequently occurred, which led the Real Madrid star to run over to the referee to report alleged racial abuse. Vinicius and his team-mates then left the pitch, as FIFA's racism protocol was activated, before the game was restarted. 

Vinicius issued a statement on the incident after the game. He posted on Instagram stories: "Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team's life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don't like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it's necessary."

The Brazilian Football Confederation (the CBF) showed support for Vinicius with a message on social media: "The CBF stands in solidarity with Vinícius Júnior, victim of yet another act of racism this Tuesday, after scoring for Real Madrid against Benfica in Lisbon. Racism is a crime. It is unacceptable. It cannot exist in football or anywhere else. Come on, you're not alone. His attitude to action or protocol is an example of courage and dignity. We are proud of you. We will remain firm in the fight against all forms of discrimination. We are next to you. Always."

Prestianni denied Vinicius's allegations in his own social media statement, which read: "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."

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho said when quizzed on the incident: "I want to be independent. I don’t want to say, ‘I believe Prestianni or don’t believe Vinicius’, because they told two completely different things."

Real Madrid team-mate Kylian Mbappe spoke about the situation after the game and called for Prestianni to be banned from the Champions League. He told Teledeporte: “Prestianni clearly called Vini Jr a monkey, it happened five times. I saw that. UEFA have the best cameras, now we wait. This is not acceptable. It’s not my kind of human being. Benfica are a top club, nothing against them, but Prestianni should never play in the Champions League anymore."

Blancos manager Alvaro Arbeloa also said there must be "zero tolerance" when it comes to racial abuse. He told reporters: "The referee told me he didn't hear anything and can't do anything about these kinds of situations. Whatever Vini Jr. would have decided , we would have stood by him. Obviously, we support him and we can't tolerate this kind of behavior, especially not on a football pitch. Whatever Vini Jr. decided, we would have been with him. I didn't see Vini Jr.'s celebration, but I did see the fantastic goal. When Mourinho finds out what happened and what his player said, he'll be the first to say he won't allow it. Zero tolerance for this, and we're very happy with the team's performance. All the players had a very solid game, and this is the Real Madrid we want to see.

"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.”

Madrid full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold also spoke out on the "disgusting" incident. The former Liverpool star said: "I can't comment too much on it because there's probably an ongoing investigation… but I think what's happened tonight is a disgrace to football. It's overshadowed the performance, especially after such an amazing goal. Vini has been subjected to this a few times throughout his career and for it to happen tonight and ruin the night for us is a disgrace, a disgrace to football. There's no place for it in society. It's disgusting."

UEFA will be expected to investigate the allegations after what was another ugly night for football. The two teams are due to meet again for the second leg of their play-off tie next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.