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UEFA has officially announced the final disciplinary action against Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. The 20-year-old Argentine winger was suspended for six games pending an investigation into his behavior during a UEFA Champions League playoff game against Real Madrid.
The case, which began in February 2026, revolves around a heated confrontation with the Real Madrid superstar Vinícius Junior, in which Prestianni called him “monkey”. The initial allegations suggested racial abuse, but the final ruling from UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has now clarified the nature of the offense while reaffirming the sport’s “zero tolerance” policy.
What did Gianluca Prestianni say to Vinicius Jr.?
The incident occurred on February 17, 2026, during the first leg of the Champions League knockout playoffs at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. After scoring the game’s only goal in the 50th minute, Vinicius Jr. celebrated with his trademark dance near the corner flag, which outraged the home crowd and several Benfica players.
Prestianni confronted the Brazilian striker and covered his mouth with his jersey as he spoke. Vinicius immediately alerted referee Francois Letexier, claiming he had been racially insulted and specifically called a “monkey”. The game was suspended for 11 minutes as the anti-racism protocol was activated.
🚨🚨OFFICIEL! 🇦🇷 𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗨 𝟲 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗧 𝟯 𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗖 Vinicius Junior admires Vinicius Junior 🇧🇷 !!!!!!
One Déjà was deleted and the 2 others took effect from then on… pic.twitter.com/WBKYsQNqQZ
– Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) April 24, 2026
Did Prestianni call Vinicius Junior “monkey”? UEFA claims it is “homophobic” and not racist
Prestianni had denied the accusation that he had made a racist comment, saying that Vinicius had misunderstood him. Real’s Aurelien Tchouameni said the Argentine told him he had not called Vinicius a “monkey” but had made a homophobic comment towards him.
After a two-month investigation, UEFA concluded that while Prestianni used discriminatory language, the behavior was classified as homophobic rather than racist. The six-game suspension includes:
- Three matches must be served immediately (including the provisional one-match suspension already served in the second leg). the knockout playoffs on February 25th, which Real Madrid won 2-1 and advanced.)
- Suspended for three games on a two-year probationary period.
UEFA also said it would ask FIFA to extend the ban worldwide.
Benfica said they had been informed of the sanction imposed on Prestianni. “Of the three-match ban, one has already been served and the remaining two must be served for UEFA matches or Argentina national team matches in a FIFA context,” Benfica said.
Prestianni has played just once for Argentina, making his debut as a late substitute in a friendly against Angola in November.
(With inputs from Reuters)
