Vinicius Junior, the star player for Real Madrid, has reportedly faced another instance of unfortunate racial abuse on the pitch during the Champions League playoff against Benfica. This time, the alleged insults came from one of the players he was competing against.
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Referee enforces anti-racism measures
As play resumed, Vinicius and Gianluca Prestianni continued their argument stemming from Real Madrid’s celebration. Prestianni, with his shirt covering his mouth, allegedly directed a comment at Vinicius, prompting the Brazilian to approach the referee and report the incident. In response, Letexier initiated the anti-racism protocol.
During this interaction with the referee, it appeared that Vinicius referenced the term ‘monkey’ [mono] to Letexier.
Match halted for ten minutes
As tensions unfolded, Vinicius was seen speaking with manager Alvaro Arbeloa and later with Jose Mourinho. After these discussions, Vinicius took a seat on the bench for several minutes while Letexier briefed the managers on the situation. During this time, a staff member from Benfica received a dismissal.
After a hiatus of around ten minutes, Vinicius and his Real Madrid teammates returned to the field, with Prestianni still present. Following the match, neither Alvaro Arbeloa nor the Real Madrid squad confirmed the exact words Vinicius reportedly said, but all players expressed the need for serious repercussions against Prestianni. Jose Mourinho later noted that Prestianni has contested Vinicius’ allegations.