Gianluca Prestianni Suspended for Champions League Match Against Real Madrid Pending Investigation
UEFA has provisionally suspended Gianluca Prestianni, a 19-year-old Argentine winger at Benfica, pending an investigation. The Argentine winger is barred from participating in Wednesday’s Champions League playoff second leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
The suspension comes as a result of allegations of discriminatory language directed at Real Madrid’s winger, Vinicius Jr, during the first leg of the playoffs, played on Feb 17, which Real Madrid won 1-0. UEFA’s Control, Ethics, and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has confirmed the provisional suspension, as reported on Feb 23.
The news was first reported by Fabrizio Romano on X.
🚨 BREAKING: Gianluca Prestianni will NOT play against Real Madrid, suspended by UEFA.
Provisional suspension has been notified to Benfica today while investigation for the racism case with Vinicius Jr continues. pic.twitter.com/RCkasEyuEL
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 23, 2026
Benfica Announces Plans to Appeal Despite Admitting Slim Hopes of Success
The club, however, has not taken the news lightly. Benfica has released a statement confirming their plan to appeal, despite admitting that there is little hope of success.
“The club regrets being deprived of the player while the process is still under investigation and will appeal this UEFA decision, even if the applicable timelines are unlikely to have any practical effect on the second leg of the Champions League playoff.”
The club has reaffirmed its “unwavering commitment to combating all forms of racism or discrimination.”
Prestianni had denied that he made any racist comments earlier. On social media, Prestianni wrote that Vinicius “regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard.”
He, however, told UEFA during the investigation that he made a homosexual slur, ESPN sources said. Nonetheless, they both fall within the scope of UEFA’s Article 14.
Real Madrid’s forward, Kylian Mbappe, who was on the field during the incident, made a statement. “There’s Benfica’s No. 25…that started speaking badly. Then he pulled his jersey up to here to say that Vini is a monkey five times.”
Prestianni, however, has made no comments since the provisional ban was announced.
If the full investigation is complete and Prestianni is found guilty, Prestianni will face a minimum 10-game ban, which is much longer than the game on Wednesday.
Benfica is already missing their manager, Jose Mourinho, because he was sent off during the first leg of the game. Losing Prestianni will make their chances of getting through the next round much harder, and they will rely on UEFA’s timely ruling of the case after the Bernabeu match is finished.
