Trent Alexander-Arnold Demands Justice after Alleged Racism to Vinicius

JAKARTA - Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has called the alleged racist abuse of his team-mate Vinicius Junior an "infamy" for the sport and wants justice to be served.

The Brazilian reported the alleged abuse by Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni to referee Francois Letexier during the 1-0 win over Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League playoff in Lisbon on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, early morning WIB.

Alexander-Arnold was on the other side of the pitch when the alleged incident took place.

"I think when you see something like that (the referee activating the racism protocol) you know it's something serious, a serious incident and that's what has happened."

"What has been reported is a disgrace for football. It's a disgrace for the sport, a disgrace for the community."

"There is no place for that kind of thing. It spoils the night for everyone. We hope there will be an investigation and justice will be done for the player," Alexander-Arnold told CBS Sport.

Referee Letexier activated the racism protocol and the match at the Estadio da Luz was stopped for 10 minutes, 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.

Alexander-Arnold praised Vinicius for reporting the alleged abuse, which Prestianni has denied.

"Vini has reacted in the right way, he has done the right thing, he has reported it."

"As a player, that's all you can do. As a team, as a club, we support him. Vini has had incidents like this before."

"He's had it many times in his career. He's had it. He's been through something very disappointing tonight. He handled it right."

"I'm very proud of the team and the club and how everyone reacted and supported Vini. We remain united as a team."

"We can only focus on ourselves. We came home with a win. That's the positive side, we won, but we also accepted how we reacted to the alleged abuse," said the English player.

The case was also taken seriously. UEFA has opened an investigation into the allegations.