Gianluca Prestianni faces extremely harsh penalties if he is found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Junior during Real Madrid’s Champions League match against Benfica.
Vinicius claims Prestianni directed racist remarks at him, and Kylian Mbappé has confirmed hearing them. The Argentine player, however, insists these allegations are completely false.
UEFA has opened an investigation into the matter, and if Prestiani is found guilty, he will face a minimum 10-match ban.
The disciplinary action won’t stop there. The player will also be fined a hefty sum, and Benfica will also face a substantial fine, potentially exceeding €100,000.
Benfica continues to support Prestianni’s position, maintaining that he did not direct any racist remarks at Vinicius. The club has released a video of the incident, suggesting it is impossible to prove that the alleged incident occurred.
The first step UEFA will take now is to review the match observer’s report, followed by opening a disciplinary investigation that will include hearing statements from players and several witnesses, and comparing this with available video footage.
According to some European media outlets, it is highly unlikely that Prestianni will be punished, as proving the accusation is extremely difficult.
There is no documentation of the moment the Argentine player allegedly uttered the remarks, and Kylian Mbappé’s testimony is currently the only one regarding the incident. Aurélien Tchouaméni stated that Prestianni called Vinicius “faggot,” not “monkey.”
A similar incident occurred in December 2020 during the Paris Saint-Germain vs. Istanbul Basaksehir match, when Cameroonian striker Pierre Webo accused fourth official Sebastián Coltescu of using a racist term. The investigation was unable to definitively prove that the term was used, and the case was closed without formal charges being filed.
