Prestianni Receives Six-Match Ban from UEFA for Homophobic Remarks Directed at Vinicius

UEFA announced that the six-match suspension for Gianluca Prestianni arises from “discriminatory conduct” observed in the encounter against Real Madrid.

The governing body clarified that the incident involved “homophobic insults” reportedly directed at Vinicius Junior, specifically referring to him as a “maricón” — a homophobic term in Spanish.

This UEFA suspension must be served in European competitions or with the Argentine national side.

“Three of these matches come with a two-year probation period that commences from the date of this decision,” UEFA elaborated, noting that one match of the ban has already been fulfilled during the second leg of the playoff at the Santiago Bernabeu.

During the first leg of the Champions League playoff for a spot in the round of 16, won 1-0 by Real Madrid on February 17, Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior approached the referee after scoring the only goal, accusing Prestianni of making racist comments.

French referee Francois Letexier halted the match at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon to initiate the anti-racism protocol, with play resuming nearly ten minutes later.

After the match, Prestianni contended that he did not utter any racially charged remarks; however, Vinicius Junior and other Real Madrid players confirmed the accusations against the Argentine player.

UEFA initially issued a provisional one-match suspension for Prestianni while the investigation was conducted. Despite not participating in the match, he accompanied his team to Madrid the following week, where Benfica was eliminated from the Champions League following a 2-1 defeat.

Given that Benfica has exited from European competitions, Prestianni will complete the remaining two matches of his suspension with the Argentina national team, provided he is selected for the 2026 World Cup.

Benfica released a statement confirming: “Benfica announced that they have been informed by UEFA regarding the sanction applied to Prestianni for his use of homophobic language during the Benfica-Real Madrid match.

“Prestianni has been suspended for six matches, with three of those matches suspended for a duration of two years. Of the three that must be served, one is already completed, and the remaining two will have to be served in UEFA matches or with the Argentina national team in FIFA competitions.”