Argentine football player accused of racist insults at Champions League game

Argentine football star Gianluca Prestianni has landed in a controversy over accusations of using racist slurs in a recent UEFA Champions League match.  The incident happened as Prestianni’s Benfica faced off against Spanish giants Real Madrid on Tuesday.  In the 50th minute, the Spanish team took a 1-0 lead through Brazilian star Vinicius de Oliveira Jr. He celebrated by running towards the corner flag and dancing in front of the Benfica fans, which earned him the wrath of several opponents and got him a yellow card. Prestianni ran to the Brazilian and the two got into a heated argument. At one point, the Argentine youngster was seen covering his mouth first with his hand and then with his shirt. After this, Vinicius Jr. sprinted to referee François Letexier and accused Prestianni of using racist slurs. The match was stopped for 10 minutes as the referee spoke with Prestianni — who denied all accusations — and UEFA staff combed through footage to find evidence of the incident. Footage later emerged of French star Kylian Mbappé calling Prestianni a racist. The French star later told the press what he heard. “I’m very sure about it, he called ‘Vini’ a monkey five times,” he said. “We can’t accept these kinds of attitudes. Playing in the Champions League is great, but giving this sort of image is terrible for world football.” Benfica’s defense Both Prestianni and Benfica have denied the allegations. The Argentine player posted a story on his Instagram account where he insisted he didn’t use racist language. “I want to make it clear that at no point did I speak with racist insults to Vinicius Jr.,” he wrote. “He sadly misinterpreted what he thought he heard. I’ve never been a racist towards anyone, and I lament the threats I’ve received from Real Madrid players.” The Portuguese club posted a screenshot of Prestianni’s statement, with the message “Together, by your side.”  It later also posted a video of the events with ambient noise, claiming that “given the distance, the Real Madrid players couldn’t have heard what they claim to have heard.” Benfica’s head coach, José Mourinho, was less adamant about the incident. “I spoke to both of them,” he said. “Vinícius tells me one thing, Prestianni tells me another. I don’t want to be biased, and I don’t want to say that I believe Prestianni 100%. But I also can’t be impartial and say that what ‘Vini’ told me is the truth.” The governing body of European football will now investigate the allegations. Prestanni could face a lengthy ban if Vinicius Jr.’s accusations are proven. Article 14 of UEFA’s Disciplinary Code states that any discriminatory insult based on “skin color, race, religion, origin, gender, or sexual orientation” is subject to a suspension of at least ten matches and even further sanctions. The most recent case of a player landing a ban over the use of racist language came in 2024.  Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur was handed a seven-match suspension by the English Football Association (FA) over remarks he made during a television appearance in his native Uruguay in June of that year. He was also fined £100,000 (US$127,000) and ordered to participate in a mandatory in-person education program. In July of that year, Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernández also landed in hot water after he livestreamed a clip where he and his Argentine men’s national football team teammate sang a chant with racist undertones.