Gianluca Prestianni Posts Statement After Vinicius Jr Incident

Gianluca Prestianni has issued a statement via social media after being accused of racially abusing Vinicius Jr during Benfica’s 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Vinicius Jr, widely regarded as one of the world’s best footballers, scored the only goal of the game at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. Following a goalless first half, the Brazilian cut in from the left wing and unleashed an unstoppable strike past goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin in the 50th minute of the match.

However, Vinicius’s celebrations angered Benfica fans and players. Moments later, Real Madrid’s No. 7 ran over to French referee Francois Letexier, accusing Prestianni of making a racist comment after placing his shirt over his mouth.

Letexier signalled that a racist incident had been reported and reacted with the crossed arms anti-racism gesture, temporarily halting the match. The Champions League knockout phase play-off tie was subsequently halted for 10 minutes as Vinicius and his teammates left the field.

The game resumed but Argentina international Prestianni continued playing until the 81st minute, when manager Jose Mourinho – who was sent off shortly afterwards after receiving two yellow cards – eventually subbed him off for Dodi Lukebakio.

Huge Fallout After the Match Ended

After the match, Vinicius Jr released an explosive statement, in which he said: “Racists are, above all, cowards”. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe said: “Prestianni should never play in the Champions League again.”

The French superstar was quoted by beIN Sports as saying: “What I saw is very clear: number 25 said five times to Vini that you are a monkey. Everyone can have their opinion, but this kind of behaviour is unacceptable. It’s wonderful to play in the Champions League, but showing this image is terrible for world football.

“I called him racist because I think he is. He tried to hide behind his shirt, but his face doesn’t lie. This type of person is not a professional colleague. A young player cannot have the freedom to say things like this on a football field. It’s a big problem, and we’ll see what happens.”

Mourinho has been criticised for his post-match comments, suggesting Vinicius Jr had incited the crowd with his celebrations. The Portuguese coach also said he wanted to be “independent” with his assessment of what happened after hearing different accounts from both Prestianni and Vinicius Jr.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Prestianni posted a statement on his Instagram story, denying the allegations made against him. Per beIN Sports, the 20-year-old wrote: “I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at Vinícius Jr, who unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard. I have never been racist toward anyone.”

He added: “And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”

Real Madrid and Benfica go head-to-head again next Wednesday in the second leg of the play-offs. The winners of the tie will advance to the Champions League Round of 16, which gets underway in March.