UEFA bans Benfica's Prestianni for six games for discriminatory conduct during Real Madrid clash
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "UEFA bans Benfica's Prestianni for six games for discriminatory conduct during Real Madrid clash")
UEFA bans Benfica's Prestianni for six games for discriminatory conduct during Real Madrid clash Photograph: (AFP)
The verdict on Friday (April 24) came after Gianluca Prestianni was found guilty of discrimination during Benfica’s Champions League playoff clash in February.
European football’s highest governing body, UEFA, has officially banned Gianluca Prestianni for six matches for discriminatory conduct. The verdict on Friday (April 24) came after the player was found guilty of discrimination during Benfica’s Champions League playoff clash in February. The Argentine winger was provisionally banned for that game after Madrid star Vinicius Junior accused him of racism.
UEFA ban Prestianni for six matches
The European football governing body said that they had taken the decision to ban the Argentine "for discriminatory (i.e., homophobic) conduct", with three of those matches suspended for a two-year probationary period. UEFA said that Prestianni, 20, had already served one of those matches in the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Madrid.
The winger was provisionally banned for that game after Madrid star Vinicius Junior accused him of racism when they clashed in the first leg on February 17, which Prestianni denied. As the two argued, Prestianni spoke to Vinicius while covering his mouth, with the Brazilian subsequently complaining to the referee, leading to the match being suspended for 10 minutes.
Real's Aurelien Tchouameni said after the game that Prestianni had told him that he had not racially abused Vinicius but instead called him a homophobic slur. UEFA said that they were asking the world football governing body FIFA "to extend worldwide the above-mentioned suspension".
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Despite the backlash, Prestianni was called up for national team duties in March and was included in the Argentina squad by head coach Lionel Scaloni. Prestianni made his debut for Argentina in November and is likely to feature in the squad during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which starts in June.
