UEFA has responded to the incidents that took place last night at the Estadio da Luz during the Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid, in which Vinicius Jr. reported alleged racist insults from Gianluca Prestianni.
The Brazilian superstar reported to the on-field referee, Francois Letexier, that the Benfica player had called him a ‘mo*key’ minutes after he had handed Los Blancos the lead, which caused a ten-minute halt in the match before action resumed and the game was completed.
Since then, Vinicius’ teammate, Kylian Mbappe, has confirmed in the media that he had heard what Prestianni, covering his mouth with his shirt, had said, while the Brazilian himself issued a statement against what had happened.
UEFA statement
Now, European football’s governing body, UEFA, issued a brief statement to the media confirming that the matter is under review.
Prestianni allegedly called Vinicius a mo*key. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“The official match reports from last night’s fixtures are currently being reviewed. When incidents are reported, procedures are initiated and, if these result in disciplinary sanctions, they are announced on the UEFA disciplinary website,” UEFA stated.
“At this time, we have no further information to provide and no additional comments to make.”
The case remains under review and it is not ruled out that UEFA could issue another statement in the coming hours outlining its conclusions and, if applicable, whether disciplinary proceedings will be opened against the player over the alleged racist insults.
One possibility is that the European body may summon the Benfica footballer to clarify the events, although he has already publicly presented his version. He insists that he never called Vinicius a mo*key.
Hopefully, the governing body takes the right action to mete out this vile behaviour from the game of football.
Source: MARCA