- UEFA Suspends Prestianni After Incident Involving Vinícius
- Decision follows incident involving Vinícius Júnior in first leg
- Benfica winger to miss return clash against Real Madrid
The Union of European Football Associations has provisionally suspended Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League clash against Real Madrid CF.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the decision followed an incident involving Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior during last week’s first leg encounter between SL Benfica and Real Madrid.
In a statement, UEFA confirmed that it had appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the February 17, 2026 knockout playoff match.
“Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock out Playoff match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour,” the statement read.
UEFA stated that the suspension is temporary and does not preclude further sanctions.
“This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies. Further information about this matter will be made available in due course,” the statement added.
The provisional suspension means Prestianni will miss the return leg against Real Madrid as investigations continue.
UEFA did not disclose specific details of the alleged incident but said updates would be provided after the disciplinary process is concluded.
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