Gianluca Prestianni has given evidence in the UEFA investigation into alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior during this week's Champions League playoff match between Real Madrid and Benfica.
UEFA is investigating the incident during the second half at the Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, early in the morning WIB, after Vinicius scored the only goal in the match.
The Real Madrid striker accused Prestianni of racially abusing him while covering his face with his shirt, which led to a 10-minute stoppage in the game as an anti-racism protocol before the game resumed.
Launching ESPN, the 20-year-old Argentine player has given a statement stating that he called Vinicius with an anti-gay insult in Spanish, not 'mono' which in Spanish means monkey.
Immediately after the match, Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni told Spanish television that Prestianni had given the explanation when confronted with the incident.
Real Madrid has sent a file containing all available evidence to UEFA as part of the investigation.
Striker Kylian Mbappe gave a lengthy explanation of what he had seen and heard to the media after the match, saying that he had personally heard Prestianni make racist insults against Vinicius five times.
"I heard it. There are Benfica players who also heard it," said Mbappe.
Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa called for Prestianni to be punished at a press conference on Friday, February 20, 2026, saying he hoped the case could be a turning point in the fight against racial abuse in football.
Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations states that the framework for punishment for racial and anti-gay abuse is the same.
"Any entity or person subject to this regulation who insults the dignity of a person or a group of people for any reason, including skin color, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender, or sexual orientation, will be subject to a minimum suspension of 10 matches or a certain period of time, or other appropriate sanctions," the regulation reads.
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