Wednesday, February 25 2026 - Benfica midfielder accused of racially abusing Vinicius Jr during last week's Champions League clash, is reportedly claiming the Real Madrid winger referred to him as a dwarf or midget.
Gianluca Prestianni,, who has been given a provisional
one-match ban by UEFA, is set to miss the second leg of the play-off tie on
Wednesday, one week after the ugly scenes that followed Vinicius' winner in the
50th minute of the first leg in Lisbon
Prestianni is alleged to have directed the word 'mono',
Spanish for 'monkey', at Vinicius after the Brazilian's mocking celebration in
front of the Benfica supporters.
But the 20-year-old Argentine star has denied using racist
language and instead claims he used the homophobic slur 'maricon', Spanish for
'f****t', in response to being taunted about his height
Standing at 5ft 5in, Prestianni is among the shortest
players in the Champions League and, according to The Times, his main defence
is that he acted in retaliation after Vinicius referred to him as a dwarf.Insiders
have told the newspaper that this defence will not wash as an excuse to use
racist or discriminatory language.
Vinicius Jr made the accusation of racist abuse to the
referee after Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt while
speaking to the Brazilian.
The match was delayed by 10 minutes after the allegation of
racism was made by Vinicius.
Kylian Mbappe claimed he also heard Prestianni use the
racist insult five times, insisting after the match that the footballer should
never be allowed to compete in the Champions League again.
Both racist and homophobic abuse are breaches of Article 14
of the UEFA's disciplinary rules, meaning Prestianni could be set for a lengthy
ban regardless of whether his defence is believed.
Taunts about a player's physical appearance, such as height,
weight, and baldness, are not covered by the regulations.
Benfica have stood firm in their defence of the player,
releasing a statement expressing their 'regret' over UEFA's decision to hand
Prestianni a provisional one-match suspension while the governing body conducts
a full investigation.
The Portuguese club also expressed their intention to appeal
the decision in the hope that it is overturned in time for the second leg in
Madrid on Wednesday. Club president Rui Costa also doubled down on Tuesday,
calling the decision to ban Prestianni unjustified.
'Nothing is proven, and the player's absence from this game
is not justified,' Costa said. 'Prestianni is being labeled a racist, but he's
anything but racist. I can guarantee that.'
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