Gianluca Prestianni will miss Benfica’s Champions League second leg against Real Madrid after UEFA rejected the club’s appeal against his suspension.
The 20-year-old was given a provisional one-match ban after Vinicius Junior reported alleged racist abuse during last week’s 1-0 first-leg defeat in Lisbon. Benfica accepted their appeal was unlikely to be resolved in time for Wednesday’s return at the Bernabeu, and UEFA’s Appeals Body has now confirmed the ban will stand.
Prestianni, who denies the allegation, trained with his team-mates in Madrid hoping the decision might be overturned. However, UEFA said there is enough evidence to support a “prima facie” case while a full investigation continues. Further punishment could still follow.
The first-leg match was briefly halted after Vinicius informed referee Francois Letexier of the alleged abuse. Vinicius had earlier been booked for celebrating in front of Benfica fans after scoring the winner.
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho, who is also banned for the second leg, had criticised Vinicius’ celebration. Former Real Madrid midfielder Clarence Seedorf said Mourinho made a mistake by appearing to justify racial abuse. Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois added that Vinicius’ celebration does not justify any alleged racist incident.
