Benfica has firmly rejected claims that Gianluca Prestianni confessed to his teammates about racially abusing Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior.
Reports from Portuguese media had suggested that the Argentine winger, who denies the allegations, had admitted his guilt to other squad members.
– Vinícius Jr. leads Real Madrid to victory amidst Benfica jeers
– Tchouaméni: Prestianni’s suspension a ‘victory’ for all
Nevertheless, the club staunchly maintained that no such admission was made.
“Benfica categorically denies that player Prestianni communicated to the squad or the club’s management that he had uttered a racist insult against Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior,” the statement reads.
“As previously disclosed, the player expressed regret to his teammates for the incident during the match against Real Madrid, lamenting its severity and repercussions, while assuring everyone from the outset that he is not racist.”
Prestianni was temporarily suspended for Wednesday’s Champions League playoff loss to Madrid following Vinícius’ allegations of racial abuse during the first leg.
Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé provided a detailed account to reporters post-game, claiming he personally heard Prestianni racially insult Vinícius on five occasions.
“I heard it,” Mbappé stated. “There are Benfica players who also heard it.”
ESPN has reported that Prestianni informed UEFA investigators he had used an anti-gay slur instead of a racial slur.
The previous week’s match was paused for nearly ten minutes after the referee enacted the anti-racism protocol in response to Vinícius’ complaint.
Vinícius later scored in the 80th minute, securing a 2-1 victory for Madrid and a 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica in the second leg at the Bernabeu.
Contributions from PA and The Associated Press were included in this report.