Gianluca Prestianni, Benfica midfielder, has been provisionally suspended by UEFA as an investigation continues into his alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Jr. The Argentine winger will miss the second leg of Benfica’s Champions League knockout playoff against Real Madrid on Wednesday.
European football’s governing body announced the decision on Monday. It said the suspension follows an interim report from its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector, who is examining claims of discriminatory behaviour during the first leg played on February 17.
The alleged incident occurred after Vinicius scored the winning goal in Real Madrid’s 1 – nil victory over Benfica. Prestianni has been accused of directing a racial slur at the Brazilian forward during the match.
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Prestianni has denied the allegation, saying his words were misunderstood in the heat of the moment. UEFA says the one match ban is provisional and that further disciplinary action could follow once the investigation is complete.
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