Prestianni to miss second leg against Real Madrid
Vinícius alleged he was racially abused by Argentinian
Uefa has provisionally suspended Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni for Wednesday’s Champions League playoff match against Real Madrid after allegations that he racially abused Vinícius Júnior during last week’s first leg.
The ban has been imposed pending the completion of a Uefa investigation and Benfica said they would appeal against the decision. The Portuguese club said they regretted being “deprived” of the player while the process was ongoing but acknowledged their appeal was unlikely to prevent Prestianni from being suspended for the return in Madrid.
Vinícius alleged that Prestianni racially abused him during Madrid’s 1-0 win in Lisbon, prompting Uefa to appoint an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate. Uefa said further punishment could be handed out once its investigation has been completed. Prestianni has denied racist abuse.
