Prestiani was suspended for homophobic behavior during the Champions League match against Real Madrid in February.
Published April 24, 2026
UEFA has announced that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestiani has been suspended for six games for committing a homophobic and discriminatory act during the Champions League match against Real Madrid.
Prestiani will be given a further two-game ban after UEFA announced on Friday that the three-game ban would be “subject to a two-year probationary period from the date of this decision.” He has already been provisionally suspended for one game.
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The Argentine winger was accused of using a racial slur towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the first leg of the Champions League playoffs, which the Spanish team won 1-0 in February.
The first leg was stopped for 11 minutes shortly after Vinicius gave Real the lead early in the second half.
Television footage showed Prestiani covering his mouth with his shirt multiple times and making comments that Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as racial slurs against the 25-year-old.
Mr Prestiani had denied accusations that he had made racist comments, saying he had misheard Mr Vinicius. Real’s Aurelien Choameny said the Argentine player told him that although he did not call Vinicius a “monkey”, he made homophobic comments towards him.
UEFA also said it would ask FIFA to extend the suspension worldwide.
The suspension includes a one-match provisional suspension for Prestianni’s role in the second leg of the first round of the finals on February 25, when Real Madrid won 2-1.
Benfica announced that they had been informed of the sanctions against Prestiani.
“Of the three-match de facto suspension, one has already been carried out and the remaining two must be carried out either in a UEFA match or in a match of the Argentina national team according to FIFA regulations,” Benfica said in a statement.
Prestiani has only played once for Argentina, making his debut as a late substitute in a friendly against Angola in November.
