UEFA Bans Benfica's Prestianni 6 Matches for Homophobic Conduct

UEFA has suspended Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni for six matches in European competitions due to homophobic conduct toward Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during a Champions League knockout playoff match in February.

The incident occurred at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz, where Benfica hosted Real Madrid. In the second half, Vinicius scored to give Real Madrid a 1-0 lead and was subsequently booked for an excessive celebration. Moments later, an exchange with Prestianni prompted the 25-year-old Brazilian to alert referee Francois Letexier, gesturing toward the Benfica player. Letexier responded with the crossed-arms signal, introduced by FIFA in May 2024 to indicate suspected racist abuse. Vinicius then walked off the pitch, followed by his teammates, halting play for 10 minutes.

Vinicius accused Prestianni of racial abuse, claiming the 20-year-old Argentine called him a monkey. Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappe, nearby during the confrontation, supported the allegation. Prestianni, however, denied making a racist remark, stating that Vinicius had misheard him. According to Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, Prestianni later admitted to directing a homophobic...