The European Football Federation (UEFA) has launched an investigation following accusations of racism made by Real Madrid striker Brazil’s Vinicius Junior against Argentina’s Benfica striker Gianluca Prestianni during the Champions League play-off first leg in Lisbon.
The match, which Real Madrid won 1-0, was stopped for ten minutes after the Brazilian striker complained to French referee Francois Letexier that the Argentine had called him a “monkey”. The latter denied those accusations on his Instagram account.
UEFA appointed investigator for ethics and discipline to investigate allegations of discriminatory behavior during the Champions League play-off between Benfica and Real MadridUEFA announced on Wednesday.
Vinicius scored the only goal of the game in the 50th minute, but then he mocked the audience at Luz with unsportsmanlike behavior because he came into conflict with several players of the Portuguese club.
The referee tried to calm the situation by showing Vinicius a yellow card, and just when it seemed that the game would continue, “Gaucho” covered his mouth with his shirt and threw something at the Brazilian. An upset Vinicius ran towards the referee, accusing Prestianni of racism.
The referee then stopped the match for almost ten minutes, Vinicius initially refused to continue, but somehow the passions calmed down and the duel continued without any sanctions.
Racists are cowards first and foremost. They have to put shirts over their mouths to show how weak they areVinicius wrote on Instagram after the game.
It is unacceptable. Vinny told us the guy called him a monkey while hiding under his shirt. We wanted to leave the field, but in the end we talked to the teamReal Madrid’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni reacted to Movistar+.
Jose Mourinho has faced criticism for his response to the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Jr during Real Madrid’s match at Benfica. pic.twitter.com/hbiUVSlFNR
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 18, 2026
Mbappe: Dance, Vinny, and never stop
The French striker Kylian Mbappe also spoke out, saying that Prestianni “didn’t deserve to play in the Champions League”.
Dance, Vinnie, and never stop. They will never tell us what we should and shouldn’t doMbappe added on his X account.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino also expressed his support for Vinicius, saying he was “shocked and saddened” by the incident in Lisbon, in a message posted on Instagram.
In our sport and society there is absolutely no place for racism. All involved parties need to take action and hold those responsible accountableadded the head of FIFA, while congratulating the French referee Letexier for activating the anti-racism protocol.
On the other hand, Prestianni, who received support from his club on social media, posted on Instagram that he “never uttered racist insults against Vinicius, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he heard”.
I have never been racist towards anyone and I condemn the threats I received from Real Madrid playershe wrote.
(Hina | Photo: X)
