Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has publicly denied accusations of racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. during Tuesday night’s heated Champions League clash in Lisbon.
“He Misunderstood”: Prestianni Releases Statement on Vinicius Jr Incident
The controversy erupted in the 50th minute after Vinicius Jr. scored the decisive goal in Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory.
Shortly after finding the net, the Brazilian forward approached referee Francois Letexier, alleging that Prestianni had directed a racist slur at him.
The accusation prompted the official to initiate the anti-racism protocol, crossing his arms to signal the report.
The game then came to a complete halt for ten minutes as Vinicius and his teammates left the pitch in protest.
The match eventually resumed, but the fallout off the field proved significant.
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe delivered a scathing verdict after the game, telling beIN Sports that Prestianni should face a lifetime ban from the competition.
“What I saw is very clear,” Mbappe stated.
“Number 25 said five times to Vini that you are a monkey.” He added that such behavior has no place in football.
However, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the 20-year-old Argentine took to his Instagram story to set the record straight from his perspective.
Prestianni insisted that a misunderstanding had occurred and that he never intended any racist remark.
“I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at Vinícius Jr, who unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard,”
Prestianni wrote. “I have never been racist toward anyone.”
The Benfica player also expressed regret over the intense reaction from the Madrid squad following the incident.
“And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players,” he added in the statement.
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho also weighed in after the match but faced criticism for his stance.
The Portuguese coach suggested Vinicius Jr. had provoked the home crowd with his celebrations and stated he wanted to remain “independent” in his assessment after hearing differing accounts from both players.
The two teams are scheduled to meet again next Wednesday for the second leg of the play-offs, with a spot in the Champions League Round of 16 on the line.
