MADRID (AP) — Benfica player Gianluca Prestani denies racially abusing Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
The 20-year-old Argentina striker told X: “I have never been racist towards anyone and I regret the threats made by Real Madrid players.”
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On Tuesday, a Champions League play-off match at Benfica’s Stadium of Light was paused for nearly 10 minutes as the referee activated anti-racism protocols.
Benfica expressed support for Prestani on Wednesday, with the Portuguese club claiming Madrid players who said they heard insults were too far away.
Benfica fans were furious after Vinicius celebrated his 50th-minute goal by dancing at the corner flag and throwing bottles and other objects at Madrid players. Prestani then confronted Vinicius and said something while covering his mouth with his jersey.
Vinicius said Prestani racially insulted him during the game, which Real Madrid won 1-0. Madrid will host the second leg on February 25, with the overall winner advancing to the last 16 of European club football’s top competition.
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Madrid players said they considered leaving the pitch but ultimately decided to continue playing.
Benfica posted a video on X.
“As the images show, the Real Madrid players were unable to hear what they heard, given the distance,” Benfica said.
The club has released a statement from Prestiani, accompanied by the words: “Together, by your side.”
Prestani defends himself
Prestani insists Vinicius misunderstood what he said, while Benfica players reportedly said after the game that the Argentine provoked the Brazilian striker but never racially insulted him.
“I would like to clarify that I never made a racist insult towards the player Vinicius Junior and unfortunately he misunderstood what he thought he heard,” Prestani said.
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He didn’t say why he covered his mouth.
The referee seemed to show he didn’t hear anything and signaled Prestani to put his shirt over his mouth. Vinicius, who is black and has been subjected to repeated racist abuse in Spain, walked to the sidelines and sat in the dugout when play was stopped.
Prestiani was not shown a yellow card and continued to play. He was substituted in the 81st game and was applauded by Benfica fans.
Kylian Mbappe was one of the Madrid players to strongly defend Vinicius, posting on X: “Dance Vinicius and please never stop. They will never tell us what to do or what not to do.”
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The French superstar also said Prestani should no longer play in the Champions League.
UEFA said in a statement that it was “currently reviewing the official report from last night’s match.”
Mourinho’s reaction
Vinicius was caught on camera telling French referee François Letexier that Prestiano had called him a “monkey”.
Benfica coach Jose Mourinho criticized Vinicius for celebrating with a Benfica flag. He spoke to both players and said he didn’t want to say he believed one over the other.
Mourinho said he told Vinicius that Benfica’s greatest ever player Eusebio is also black, but he appeared to question why the Madrid player was so frequently the target of racist abuse.
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Vinicius was booked after celebrating a goal on Tuesday.
Some online videos on Wednesday appeared to show some Benfica fans making monkey gestures in the stands.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
