The UEFA Champions League match day eight turned sour and was filled with controversy when SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinícius Jr.
Shortly after, UEFA appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate allegations of the racist slur directed at Vinícius Jr. on Tuesday. February 18, 2026, during their UCL clash. The Brazilian forward scored the only goal of the night in the first leg at the Estádio da Luz. However, during his celebration, he became engaged in a heated moment with the Benfica players, especially Prestianni.
After the Argentinian midfielder was accused of racism, the game was put on hold for 10 minutes as the referee implemented the anti-racism protocol. Prestianni, 20, is currently facing the possibility of a 10-game ban if the allegations are proven true.
After the game, French national Kylian Mbappé spoke to Spanish TVE, where he defended Vinícius Jr. Reflecting on the incident (quotes translated from Spanish), Mbappé claimed that he heard Benfica's number 25 player call “Vini Jr.” a “monkey.”
“There's Benfica's No. 25, I don't want to say his name because he doesn't deserve to be named, that started speaking badly. Then he pulled his jersey up to here [covering his mouth] to say that Vini is a monkey five times. I heard it. There are Benfica players that also heard it.”
While Mbappé respects Benfica's coach Jose Mourinho, he declined to offer the same to Prestianni. “But this player [Prestianni] doesn't deserve to play this competition. We have to give the best example to youngsters; if we let this go, then the values of football serve for nothing, everything we believe in is for nothing. We have to do something.”
Gianluca Prestianni denies speaking racial slurs to Real Madrid's Vinícius Jr.
Shortly after Benfica's upset night, Gianluca Prestianni shared a story on Instagram, where he reflected on the incident and denied speaking any racial slurs to the Real Madrid number 7 (quotes translated from Spanish).
“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to player Vinícius Junior, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Benfica is scheduled to face Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in the second leg on Feb. 25, 2026.
