Provisionally suspended by UEFA, yet still present in Madrid. The Gianluca Prestianni case continues to generate headlines on the eve of the Champions League playoff second leg between Real Madrid and SL Benfica (1-0 in the first leg).
After the first leg, marked by a goal from Vinícius Júnior, the Brazilian forward accused the Argentine attacking midfielder of directing racist insults at him. The allegations have been strongly denied by both the player and his club.
UEFA Investigation and Provisional Suspension
Having taken up the matter, UEFA opened an investigation and announced a provisional one-match suspension. In its official statement, the governing body specified: “Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory conduct, […] the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has today (Monday) decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next UEFA club competition match.” It added that this interim decision does not prejudge the final verdict.
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🚨 𝗚𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗟𝗨𝗖𝗔 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗜 🇦🇷 𝗩𝗔 𝗕𝗜𝗘𝗡 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗘 𝗩𝗢𝗬𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗔̀ 𝗠𝗔𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗗 𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗖 𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗘́𝗤𝗨𝗜𝗣𝗘. ✈️✅
Suspendu, l’Argentin pourra être intégré au groupe si l’appel du SL Benfica auprès de l’UEFA est accepté.
— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) February 24, 2026
Despite the suspension, Prestianni traveled with the Lisbon squad to Madrid on Tuesday. A strong move by Benfica, which has decided to appeal the sanction and expressed its “unwavering support for the version of events presented by the player.” The Portuguese club said it “regrets being deprived of the player while the proceedings are still ongoing” and reiterated its commitment to fighting all forms of discrimination. If the suspension is lifted, the Argentine could therefore be included in the squad for the clash at the Santiago Bernabéu.
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