Breaking down chaos after Vinícius Jr racism claim against Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni
(Courtesy : Getty)
The game was halted for 10 mins following the incident.
Vinicius Jr and his teammates left the field after reporting alleged racial taunts, which caused Real Madrid’s Champions League 2025-26 knockout round first-leg play-off match against Benfica to be stopped for ten minutes.
After speaking with Vinicius, referee Francois Letexier signalled racist abuse with the crossed arms gesture. At the Estadio da Luz, the Brazilian attacker had given the Spanish visitors a 1-0 lead in the second half before receiving a booking for excessive celebration.
After a confrontation with Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica, Vinicius Jr rushed to referee Letexier and pointed to the opposing player.
Vinicius Jr posted a statement denouncing the event on Instagram following the match.
“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are,” said Vinicius.
“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.”
Benfica opposed any racist remarks made by their player
However, after the game, Benfica released a statement defending their player and commented on the incident:
“As the images and video demonstrate, given the distance, the Real Madrid players could NOT have heard what they claim to have heard.”
Kylian Mbappe’s statement following the incident
Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica should be barred from the Champions League, according to Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe, after the Argentine was accused of using a racial epithet against Vinicius Jr. during Tuesday’s 1-0 playoff first-leg victory for the Spanish team.
“Sporting matters ceased to be important tonight. This is the Champions League, the most important football competition in the world, and we cannot ignore what happened,” Mbappe told reporters.
“We have to set an example for all the children watching us at home. What happened today is the kind of thing we cannot accept because the world is watching us. When someone behaves like this (like Prestianni), we have to speak out and denounce it. I have nothing against Benfica, the club, its fans or its manager. But something has to be done.”
“We cannot accept that there is a player in Europe’s top football competition who behaves like this. This guy doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League anymore. That’s my opinion, but I don’t know what they’re going to do, I’m not the one who makes these kinds of decisions. UEFA is trying to do things against racism and I think they should do something about what happened here today.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold also shared his feelings on the incident, saying:
“I think what has happened tonight is a disgrace to football and overshadowed the performance, as well as an amazing goal.”
He added: “Vini has been subject to this a few times throughout his career. To ruin a night like this for our team is a disgrace. There is no place for it in football or society. It is disgusting.”
Valverde says the opposition player covered his mouth to say something racist
Another Madrid star, Federico Valverde, came in support of Vinicius and hit out at Benfica’s player following the game, as he said:
“When you cover your mouth with your shirt to say something, it’s obviously to say something really ugly. He said a word that should never be used. It was pathetic, what he said. It’s really, really bad”.
José Mourinho on Vinicius Jr
“When it happens in so many stadiums, always with the same, there is something wrong”.
“I told Vini: you scored a wonder goal, why did you celebrate like that? Why can’t you celebrate a goal with just the happiness of being a great player?”.
Gianluca Prestianni issues a statement after being accused of racially abusing Vini Jr
Writing on his Instagram after the match, Prestianni denied making a racist slur.
“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” Prestianni wrote.
“I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
UEFA statement
UEFA have released a statement after Vinicius Jr made a complaint following a comment from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League tie.
More to follow…
Was Vinicius Jr racially abused?
During the incident, he informed the referee that a Benfica player said something racist towards him.
For how long was the game stopped for?
It was stopped for 10 minutes.
Who won the game?
Real Madrid won the game 1-0.
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After earning a bachelor's degree in mass media, Rajarshi began his career as a sports writer in 2019, driven by his passion for sports journalism. He has been working in the field for over six years. A devoted fan of Lionel Messi and Barcelona, Rajarshi has been involved in sports since childhood. Before turning his focus to journalism, he even represented his college at the state level. Along with covering football, he enjoys playing the game, watching movies, and experimenting with new recipes in his spare time, as cooking is one of his favorite hobbies.