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02/23 08:44 CST UEFA provisionally suspends Gianluca Prestianni after
accusation he racially abused Vincius Jnior
UEFA provisionally suspends Gianluca Prestianni after accusation he racially
abused Vincius Jnior
NYON, Switzerland (AP) --- UEFA said on Monday it has provisionally suspended
Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni for one match following accusations he
racially abused Vincius Jnior.
The decision means that Prestianni will miss Wednesday's second leg of the
Champions League playoff between Real Madrid and Benfica. Madrid won the first
match in Lisbon last Tuesday with Vincius scoring a second-half winner for a
1-0 victory.
The game was halted for nearly 10 minutes after the Brazil forward scored and
celebrated by the Benfica corner flag, upsetting local fans and players. After
being confronted by Prestianni, Vincius accused the Argentine player of
calling him "monkey."
Prestianni has denied racially insulting Vincius.
The anti-racism protocol was activated but no further action was taken during
the match as there was no evidence against Prestianni, who covered his mouth
with his shirt while talking to Vincius. The Madrid forward was shown a yellow
card after his celebration.
UEFA said the decision from its control, ethics and disciplinary Body (CEDB) is
related to a discriminatory behavior.
"This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may
subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its
respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies," it said in a statement.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said after the match he was "shocked and
saddened to see the incident of alleged racism" and praised the referee for
activating the anti-racism protocol.
Benfica showed support for Prestianni, with the Portuguese club claiming that
Madrid players who said they heard the insult were too far away. Benfica later
released a statement saying it welcomed UEFA's investigation and that it "fully
supports and believes the version presented" by Prestianni, "whose conduct
while with the club has always been guided by respect" toward everyone.
Benfica fans had reacted angrily to Vincius celebrating his 50th-minute goal
by dancing at the corner flag, throwing bottles and other objects toward the
Madrid players. Prestianni then confronted Vincius and said something while
covering his mouth with his jersey.
Prestianni insisted that Vincius misunderstood what was said, while Benfica
players after the match reportedly said the Argentine provoked the Brazil
forward but never racially insulted him.
Kylian Mbapp was among the Madrid players who strongly defended Vincius and
posted on X: "Dance, Vini, and please never stop. They will never tell us what
we have to do or not."
The France star also said Prestianni should never play in the Champions League
again.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
