Prestianni handed six-match UEFA ban for homophobic abuse aimed at Vinicius Jr
UEFA has made its call. Gianluca Prestianni, Benfica Lisbon’s Argentine winger, has been banned for six matches for discriminatory behaviour – in this case homophobic abuse – after the insults aimed at Vinicius Jr during the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie in February. Three of those six matches are suspended, and the ban includes the game he has already served in the return leg.
It all goes back to the first-leg clash between Benfica and Real Madrid. The referee stopped play for 10 minutes after Vinicius complained he had been insulted by Prestianni, who was covering his mouth with his shirt at the time of the exchange. UEFA then suspended the Argentine on a provisional basis for the second leg, pending a disciplinary ruling.
Vinicius accused Prestianni of calling him a “monkey”. Prestianni denied that on Instagram, saying the Brazilian had “unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard”. According to ESPN, Prestianni told European football’s governing body that he used a homophobic insult in Spanish, not a racist slur. UEFA’s disciplinary panel ultimately accepted that account, finding him guilty of “homophobic behaviour” rather than racial abuse.
Mbappe spoke out, Prestianni cried foul
After the match, Kylian Mbappe did not hold back in the mixed zone. The France forward said Prestianni did not “deserve to play in the Champions League” and called for strong punishment. “UEFA is trying to make things move, but this is a serious case and I hope decisions are made, calmly,” he added.
Prestianni, for his part, gave an interview to Argentine broadcaster Telefe after his provisional suspension, insisting he had been punished “without proof”. “I was thinking about my dad, my mum, my grandparents, about the fact people are saying so many things that don’t apply to me and that never happened. It’s ugly and it hurts a lot,” he said. Those words were not enough to sway UEFA, even if the offence they settled on is ultimately less severe than his camp had feared.
Credit photo: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA / AFP
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