UEFA has imposed a six-match suspension on Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica for homophobic behaviour during a Champions League knockout playoff against Real Madrid in February. The sanction includes an additional two matches beyond a previously served provisional ban, while three of the games are suspended for a two-year period.
UEFA has imposed a six-match suspension on Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica for homophobic behaviour during a Champions League knockout playoff against Real Madrid in February. The sanction includes an additional two matches beyond a previously served provisional ban, while three of the games are suspended for a two-year period.
The governing body has also asked FIFA to apply the punishment globally. The incident took place at Estadio da Luz, where the match was paused for 10 minutes after Vinicius Jr reported abuse.
Prestianni denied making a racist remark, stating that his words were misunderstood. However, Aurelien Tchouameni later said the Benfica player admitted to directing a homophobic insult instead.
During the game, Vinicius had given Real Madrid the lead in the second half before receiving a booking for his celebration. Shortly after an exchange with Prestianni, he approached referee Francois Letexier while gesturing towards the winger.
The referee responded by making the crossed-arms signal introduced by FIFA in May 2024 to indicate racist abuse. Following this, Vinicius left the pitch, with his team-mates from Real Madrid joining him in protest.
After the match, the Brazilian forward shared a message on social media condemning racism. Meanwhile, Benfica publicly backed Prestianni, describing the situation as a campaign against their player and expressing confidence in his account.
Coach Jose Mourinho stated that the player’s future under him would be finished if the allegations of racist conduct were proven.
If found guilty of racist abuse, Prestianni would have faced a minimum 10-match suspension in European competitions. Instead, the confirmed offence resulted in a shorter ban, which has led to criticism regarding how different forms of abuse are treated.
The case has also drawn attention to players covering their mouths during confrontations, which made it harder to determine exactly what was said. In response, the International Football Association Board is considering measures to address this issue.
Gianni Infantino suggested that players who conceal their speech in such situations should be dismissed from matches and indicated the topic could be discussed at an upcoming FIFA Congress. Applying the suspension worldwide could affect Prestianni’s availability for international tournaments, although his limited experience with Argentina makes selection uncertain.
