UEFA is officially taking interim action following Vinicius Jr’s complaint. against Gianluca Prestianni before the match between Real Madrid and Benfica.

Although Real Madrid secured victory in the first leg, the result quickly became secondary. Vinicius Jr.’s complaint about racial discrimination against Benfica star Gianluca Prestianni became the main topic of debateand became a heated issue ahead of the second leg of the Champions League play-offs. To prevent tensions from escalating further, UEFA has decided to introduce a temporary measure to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.

“…The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has today decided to provisionally suspend Mr Gianluca Prestianni from the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise qualify for the prima facie breach of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Rules relating to discriminatory conduct.” said UEFA.

With this temporary measure from UEFA, SL Benfica head coach José Mourinho will be forced to deploy Dodi Lukebakio on the right wing; However, The governing body has made it clear that this is not a final decision and will not disrupt the ongoing investigationwhich, however, may take several days it does help prevent further tense incidents in the stadium and prevent an already delicate situation from escalating.

Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni could face serious punishment from UEFA

Although Vinicius Jr. has remained steadfast in his claim that he heard racial discrimination, Gianluca Prestianni has denied the allegations and maintained his innocence on social media. Moreover, SL Benfica has publicly backed the Argentine with a solid statement, clearly showing that a campaign against him is underway. However, if he is found guilty, the 20-year-old star could face a significant sanction in the UEFA Champions League.

According to Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Codeany person or entity that insults the dignity of an individual or group on the basis of skin color, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation may face a sanction of at least ten matches, and may also receive a suspension for a specified period. For that reason, Gianluca Prestianni could be exposed to a punishment that significantly changes his career trajectory, limiting future opportunities, for example.

see also

Benfica hits back at Real Madrid with UEFA complaint against Federico Valverde for ‘violent behavior’

UEFA could face a difficult road in proving Gianluca Prestianni’s racial discrimination against Vinicius Jr. After reportedly covering his mouth, there is currently talk no video or audio evidence to demonstrate racist comments from Argentina. Furthermore, testimonies from Real Madrid players may depend on their proximity to the incident, while SL Benfica claims that no one could have heard anything due to their distance from the situation.