Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni has been provisionally suspended by UEFA and will miss Benfica’s UEFA Champions League second-leg clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
The suspension comes as UEFA continues its investigation into allegations that Prestianni racially abused Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior during last week’s Round of 16 first leg in Lisbon.
Real Madrid won the first encounter 1–0, with Vinícius scoring the only goal of the match.
After celebrating in front of Benfica supporters; an action that earned him a yellow card, the Brazilian told referee François Letexier that he had been subjected to racist abuse by the Argentine winger.
Prestianni has strongly denied the allegation and has reportedly threatened legal action.
The match was paused for around 10 minutes following the alleged incident, with Real Madrid players briefly leaving the pitch.
Benfica manager José Mourinho was later sent off and will also miss the second leg.
He drew criticism for post-match comments in which he described Vinícius’ celebration as disrespectful.
UEFA has appointed an independent ethics and disciplinary inspector to conduct a full investigation.
The governing body says further sanctions could follow once proceedings are complete.
