Thibaut Courtois slams 'deplorable' Gianluca Prestianni defence and Jose Mourinho amid Vinicius Jr row as Benfica winger denies aiming racial slur at Real Madrid match-winner

The fallout from the first-leg playoff continues to dominate the headlines as Real Madrid prepare for the return leg on Wednesday. Prestianni was provisionally suspended by UEFA on Monday after being accused of insulting the Brazilian international. However, the Argentine midfielder has denied the racism charge, claiming Vinicius misheard his words.

Adding a further layer to the incident, Aurelien Tchouameni revealed after the game that Prestianni claimed he did not use a racial slur but instead directed a homophobic comment at the winger. For Courtois, the distinction between the two types of abuse does not lessen the gravity of the situation.

Speaking to the media ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Courtois expressed his disgust at the scenes in Lisbon. "It's just as serious because they are homophobic insults... I've also seen the images from the Benfica stand during the match and I think it's deplorable to see that in a stadium," Courtois told reporters on Tuesday, referring to fans making monkey gestures. "You may like a player more or less, but making those gestures is shameful... I haven't seen if they've said anything about going after their fans who made those monkey gestures".

The veteran goalkeeper also criticised the lack of immediate consequences for those involved in the stands. Courtois made it clear that the responsibility lies with stadium staff and authorities to act decisively when such behaviour occurs. "But with everything that has happened, there are many things that haven't been done well. I think that racism, homophobia - all of these things - we simply cannot accept them and the insult is equally serious," he added. The Belgian believes that the footballing world must move beyond debates over the type of insult and focus on the fundamental fact that any such abuse is unacceptable.

The tension surrounding the incident was further fueled by comments from Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho, who suggested that the fans' reactions were triggered by the way Vinicius Jr. celebrated his goal. Courtois was quick to dismiss any attempt to shift the blame onto his teammate. "Vini didn't do anything wrong. He celebrated the way many opponents have celebrated against us too," Courtois said. "In the end we need to move on and leave it at that. We can't justify an alleged act of racism with a celebration."

Under current UEFA regulations, any individual found guilty of insulting human dignity based on factors such as sexual orientation faces a minimum ban of 10 matches. During the match in Portugal, the referee paused play for several minutes following a complaint from Vinicius, and Courtois acknowledged that while procedures are improving, more can be done. "In the end, the problem is that, in that moment, it was Vinicius who decided that we went back to playing. If Vini had said no, that he couldn't continue, then I think as a team we would have taken a stand there," the goalkeeper noted. 

Courtois believes the duty of care should not fall solely on the players themselves, but on everyone present in the arena. "Then, obviously, the other things that happened in the stands, for me, are reasons to stop a match and throw those people out. If it happens right in front of someone who is two metres away - a Benfica stadium security guard - then that person has to act and call the authorities... I think we can keep improving and I think as a society we also need to stop being so foolish," he said.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa also praised the resilience shown by his star forward under such intense pressure. Speaking before the second leg, Arbeloa highlighted the mental strength required to perform amid such controversy. "Anyone in his situation, I don't know how I would react. He has always responded with courage, showing a huge personality and a lot of character... He is a fighter," Arbeloa said. "He's very well, eager and motivated for these kind of games... He is a game-changing player. He is a leader and we need him to get back to have fun tomorrow so he has a great match."