Benfica publicly defend Gianluca Prestianni after Vinicius Junior racism allegations mar Champions League clash with Real Madrid

Play was halted for approximately 10 minutes after Vinicius became involved in a heated exchange with Benfica supporters as he celebrated his decisive goal. As the teams prepared for Benfica to take centre again, Vinicius ran to the referee and accused the Portuguese club’s player, Gianluca Prestianni, of using a racial slur.

In a move that has raised eyebrows across the footballing world given the severity of the accusations, Benfica posted a message of support on their official X account. The club shared Prestianni's earlier denial and added a caption to make their stance crystal clear, writing: “Together, by your side.” 

Not content with a simple message of support, Benfica doubled down by releasing a video that they claim exonerates the 19-year-old midfielder from any wrongdoing. The club are attempting to use the clip to prove that the other Madrid players were too far away to have heard the specific slur they have reported to the match officials. The Portuguese side accompanied the footage with a caption stating: “As the images show, given the distance, the Real Madrid players could not have heard what they are claiming they heard.”

Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his jersey during the heated exchange, which has complicated the review of camera footage by UEFA's disciplinary team. Despite the lack of clear lip-reading evidence, the testimonies coming out of the Madrid dressing room remain consistent and damning, painting a very different picture of the events that occurred on the pitch.

While Benfica stand behind their man, the mood in Madrid is one of absolute certainty and fury. Several key players for Los Blancos have come forward to corroborate Vinicius Junior’s version of events, claiming they heard a specific slur. Aurelien Tchouameni said that Vinicius was called a “monkey” by the Benfica player, a comment that Kylian Mbappe also claimed to hear. The Frenchman was reportedly incensed by the incident, with eyes on the pitch reportedly catching him screaming at the Argentine: “you are a f*cking racist.”

The incident was severe enough to trigger the official UEFA racism protocol, causing the match to be temporarily halted as Vinicius Junior attempted to leave the field in protest. The Brazilian has since received the full vocal backing of his teammates and club directors, who are demanding that the governing body takes the strictest possible action.

Adding another layer to the drama, Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has also entered the fray, offering a defence that has done little to calm the waters. The legendary Portuguese coach supported his club’s stance while taking a swipe at the Real Madrid star's conduct during the game. Mourinho completely defended his club while questioning the Brazilian’s goal celebration - even though he said he’s not taking sides. This deflection has been met with criticism from those who believe the focus should remain solely on the racism allegations.

Mourinho said: "I saw two completely different things. I want to be independent, and I don't comment about it. I told [Vinícius] exactly that. I told him when you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back. When he was arguing about racism, I told him the biggest person [Eusebio] in the history of this club was black.

"This club, the last thing that it is, is racist. If in his mind there was something in relation to that – this in Benfica. They [Vinicius and Gianluca Prestianni] told me different things. But I don't believe in one or another. I want to be an independent."

However, in the wake of Benfica’s statements, a number of fans have taken to social media to share photos and video clips that appear to show Vinicius standing directly alongside Prestianni during the contentious Champions League clash, while his Madrid team-mates are not far behind. These images have reignited the debate online, with supporters divided over what they depict and the implications for the ongoing controversy surrounding the match.

The fan-shared content comes as a direct challenge to Benfica’s official claim that their young midfielder had been at a distance from the other Madrid stars at the time of the incident. The apparent contradiction between the club’s version of events and the visual evidence provided by supporters has added another layer of tension to an already highly charged situation, intensifying discussions across forums, social media platforms, and football fan communities.