Benfica star handed six-game ban for homophobic abuse after Vinicius Jr incident

Jack Otway
Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:05:22 +0000

UEFA has handed Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni a six-match suspension following an investigation that determined he directed homophobic abuse at Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during their Champions League encounter in February.

The 20-year-old Argentine must serve the ban in European club competitions or whilst representing his national team.

European football's governing body has also formally requested that FIFA extend the punishment to apply globally, which would prevent Prestianni from playing in any competitive fixture worldwide.

Today's sanction follows a high-profile incident during the play-off tie in Lisbon that initially sparked allegations of racial abuse against the Brazilian forward.

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February's Champions League contest was brought to a halt for approximately ten minutes after Vinicius Junior accused the Benfica player of directing abuse towards him.

The incident occurred moments after the Brazilian had scored to put the visitors ahead, with Vinicius seen covering his mouth with his shirt as he reported the matter to match official Francois Letexier.

The Real Madrid forward alleged that Prestianni had called him a "monkey", an accusation that teammate Kylian Mbappe supported, having been positioned close to where the exchange took place.

UEFA initially imposed a provisional one-match suspension on the Argentine, which he served ahead of the return fixture between the two sides.

The investigation concluded that while the abuse was discriminatory in nature, it was homophobic rather than racist.

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Of the six-match ban, three are suspended for a probationary period of two years from Friday's ruling, with the provisional suspension already served counting towards the total.

In the aftermath of the February incident, Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni revealed to journalists that Prestianni had claimed he made a homophobic comment rather than a racist one.

The Argentine has maintained his innocence regarding the original allegations, telling Telefe earlier this month: "I have never been racist, and I never will be.

"What hurt me the most was to be accused of something I never did."

He added: "It was something I didn't say, and they punished me without proof."

Manager Jose Mourinho had previously stated unequivocally that any player found guilty of racism would be dismissed, declaring: "If my player did not respect these principles, which are mine and Benfica's as well, then that player's career with a coach named Jose Mourinho and at a club named Benfica will come to an end."

However, the Portuguese coach never addressed what consequences might follow should the abuse be determined to be homophobic in nature.

Mourinho had also suggested that Vinicius Junior may have "incited" supporters through his goal celebration, though he refrained from commenting directly on the player-to-player exchange.