Vinicius Junior Accuses Prestianni of Cowardice for Racist Harassment

JAKARTA - Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior accused Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him during the first leg of the Champions League playoff on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, early morning WIB, which led to the match being stopped for 10 minutes in the second half.

Vinicius scored to give Real Madrid the lead in the 50th minute in Lisbon - the only goal in a 1-0 win - and then was fouled by Prestianni after celebrating the goal near the corner flag.

Prestianni was seen talking to Vinicius while covering his mouth with a jersey, before the Brazilian pointed at him and ran towards the referee.

Vinicius spoke to referee Francois Letexier, who made a "crossed hands" gesture - indicating that the racial abuse charge had been levelled.

"The racists are cowards. They need to cover their mouths with shirts to show how weak they are," Vinicius wrote on Instagram after the match.

Prestianni then used social media three hours later to deny the allegations.

"I want to clarify that I have never made racist insults to Vinicius Junior."

"Unfortunately, he misinterpreted what I said. I have never been racist towards anyone," wrote Prestianni.

The match at the Estadio da Luz was then stopped, as Vinicius, who looked depressed, spoke to Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa, Benfica manager Jose Mourinho, and his teammates.

Arbeloa then confirmed that Real Madrid was willing to leave the field if Vinicius wanted it, but after discussion, the team decided to continue the match.

"Tolerance for racism must be zero. Things like that should not happen on the field in 2026."

"I asked (Vini) if he wanted to continue playing. I told him that we were with him. We must always be at his side."

"The referee told me that he didn't hear anything, and couldn't do anything in that situation."

"Whatever Vini says, we will stay with him. Zero tolerance for this," Arbeloa said in a press conference after the match.

Vinicius also received a yellow card after scoring a goal because he celebrated the goal by dancing near the corner flag and then was confronted by several Benfica players.

"I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal, and I still don't understand why. Then there is the protocol, which is poorly implemented, which produces nothing," Vinicius said on Instagram.

Speaking in the interview zone after the match, Kylian Mbappe said Prestianni had racially abused Vinicius several times. He added that the Argentine player did not deserve to play in the Champions League again.

"It ruins the night, it's a shame for the sport. It's also a shame in the community. There's no place for that kind of thing."

"If incidents like this happen, we can only deal with it like we did tonight. I'm really proud of the team, the club, and the squad and how everyone reacted," defender Trent Alexander-Arnold told CBS.

"According to teammates who were nearby, they heard something very unpleasant."

"It's a shame that with so many cameras, the incident was not recorded," said midfielder Federico Valverde.

"This shouldn't happen. Vini told us that the man called him a monkey. Vini told us that we had to keep playing."

"I said that if there was a problem, we would go as a team, that's all. However, we talked, and we said that we had to win," Aurelien Tchouameni told Movistar.

Benfica players said Prestianni told them he provoked Vinicius, but never used racist slurs.

"I asked him and he said it was a normal provocation between players during the game. He said it was not something racist," said Benfica midfielder Leandro Barreiro.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) issued a statement of support for its players.

"The CBF stands in solidarity with Vinicius Junior, the victim of another act of racism after scoring for Real Madrid against Benfica in Lisbon."

"Racism is a crime. It is unacceptable. It should not exist in football or anywhere. Vini, you are not alone. Your actions in activating the protocol are an example of courage and dignity."

"We are proud of you. We will remain steadfast in the fight against all forms of discrimination. We are with you. Always." he said.

Benfica will travel to Madrid next week for the second leg of the playoff round at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 25, 2026.