Benfica look set to take action against the two fans that were filmed making monkey gestures at Vinicius Junior on Tuesday night during their Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. The Portuguese club can now take action against said fans.
Beyond the incident with Gianluca Prestianni and Vinicius Junior, where the Brazilian and Kylian Mbappe accused him of racist abuse, there were other instances of racism visible at the Estadio da Luz. Two fans were caught on camera making monkey gestures at Vinicius following his winner in the second half.
Racistas…. @SLBenfica
– Club Racista
– Jugador Racista
– Afición Racista https://t.co/PatgPLTDxA pic.twitter.com/L7L27d0gvZ— CJ Axe (@cjaxe7) February 18, 2026
Benfica identify racist fans
According to A Bola, as quoted by Marca, Benfica have now identified the two culprits behind the gestures. Benfica, as is customary these days, have opened a disciplinary process and if they are confirmed as members, could be expelled from the club. It is not clear as of yet whether they have reported the incident to the Portuguese authorities.
Arbeloa responds to Mourinho comments
On Friday, Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa also responded to Benfica manager Jose Mourinho. His former boss had criticised Vinicius for his celebrations after the goal, which he believed provoked the reaction from the crowd, although he was not referring specifically to the racist gestures. While Arbeloa did not directly criticise Mourinho, he did note that ‘nothing Vinicius had done justifies racism‘. He also called on UEFA to make an example out of Prestianni.
UEFA’s investigation into Prestianni
UEFA have opened an investigation into Prestianni, following the accusations levelled by Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe. The process is likely to take weeks if not months, but if Prestianni is found guilty of racism, then he will receive a minimum 10-game ban. It is not yet clear whether they will require video/audio evidence, or if UEFA will be willing to rely on testimony from Mbappe and Vinicius, given other Benfica players have backed up Prestianni.
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