Benfica has lost its appeal against a provisional suspension issued by UEFA for player Gianluca Prestianni over accusations of racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.
UEFA imposed the provisional suspension on Monday, ruling Prestianni out of Wednesday night’s Champions League playoff round second leg against Madrid.
Although Benfica announced their intent to appeal, UEFA confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that the appeal was rejected.
“Mr. Gianluca Prestianni remains provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible,” a statement from UEFA read.
Following the first leg, where Vinícius alleged that Prestianni racially abused him—a claim that Prestianni has denied—UEFA appointed an ethics and disciplinary investigator (EDI).
On Monday, UEFA stated that the provisional suspension was made “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.”
Vinícius left the field and refused to return after an alleged comment, causing a 10-minute stoppage in the play during the first leg in Lisbon. This incident occurred shortly after Vinícius had put his team ahead with a brilliant individual goal, curling the ball home from a tight angle five minutes into the second half.
After celebrating in front of the home fans, Vinícius became visibly distressed and immediately notified the referee, who then halted the match.
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– Gianluca Prestianni provisionally suspended for Benfica’s second leg against Real Madrid
José Mourinho voiced his support for Prestianni while criticizing Vinícius for his goal celebration, which earned the player a yellow card. The Benfica coach remarked that there always seems to be a commotion in stadiums where Vinícius plays.
Real Madrid’s goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, stated on Tuesday that it was inappropriate to use Vinícius’ celebration as a justification for the alleged racist incident.
Bayern Munich’s coach, Vincent Kompany, also criticized Mourinho for his comments directed at Vinícius after the match last week.
Although Mourinho is suspended for the second leg due to his expulsion late in the first leg for dissent towards the referee, he traveled to Madrid with Prestianni, who was seen training with the team on Wednesday before UEFA denied the club’s appeal.
ESPN’s Mark Ogden and The Associated Press contributed to this report.