JAKARTA - Real Madrid has sent UEFA all available evidence regarding the alleged racist insults against Vinicius Junior in the Champions League playoff match against Benfica, Wednesday, February 18, 2026, early morning WIB.
"Our club has actively cooperated with the investigation opened by UEFA following the unacceptable racist incident that occurred during the match," read the Los Blancos statement on Thursday without elaborating on the evidence.
UEFA has appointed a special investigator to gather evidence about what happened in Lisbon in Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League playoff.
Vinicius accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of calling him a "monkey" after the Brazilian scored the only goal. Prestianni was among the Benfica players who were upset with Vinicius after the striker celebrated the goal near the Benfica corner flag.
Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt as he allegedly spoke to the Brazilian and denied having racially abused Vinicius, who has repeatedly been the target of racist insults in Spain.
"Real Madrid appreciates the support, support, and affection that our player Vinicius Jr. has received from all sectors of the global football community."
"Real Madrid will continue to work, collaborating with all institutions, to eradicate racism, violence, and hatred in sports and society," Real Madrid said again.
The match was stopped according to UEFA regulations after Vinicius claimed to have been harassed after celebrating the goal, which resulted in a 10-minute stoppage in the game, with the striker then completing the full match.
After the match, Vinicius posted in Portuguese on Instagram Story about the incident.
"The perpetrators of racist abuse, above all, are cowards. They need to cover their mouths with shirts to show how weak they are."
"However, they have the protection of others, who theoretically, have an obligation to punish. There is nothing new in my life and my family after today's incident."
"I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't understand why. On the other hand, only the protocol was poorly executed and it was useless," wrote Vinicius.
Meanwhile, Benfica said Prestianni was the victim of a "campaign of defamation" and welcomed the investigation opened by UEFA, saying they fully supported and trusted the version presented by Prestianni.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said after the incident that he was shocked and saddened to see the alleged racism incident and praised the referee for activating the anti-racism protocol during the match, which was stopped for almost 10 minutes.
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