UEFA has imposed a provisional suspension on Gianluca Prestianni, winger for SL Benfica, following allegations of racially abusing Vinicius Junior. This decision rules the 20-year-old Argentine out of Wednesday's Champions League knockout round second-leg match against Real Madrid. The incident occurred during the first leg between the teams in Lisbon, which was interrupted for several minutes after the Brazilian star intervened with the head referee.

Provisional suspension from play

Gianluca Prestianni will not play in the return leg against Real Madrid due to a suspension imposed by UEFA.

EDI investigation ongoing

A special disciplinary inspector is investigating the racist incident that occurred on February 17 in Lisbon.

Interrupted match in Lisbon

The first leg was halted for 11 minutes after Vinicius reported insults to the referee.

Possible further sanctions

UEFA does not rule out harsher penalties for the Benfica player after the full investigation concludes.

The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Commission announced on Monday a provisional one-match suspension for Gianluca Prestianni. This decision stems from a preliminary report by the Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI), who is investigating the circumstances of the incident last Tuesday. During the match at Estadio da Luz, Vinicius Junior informed referee Francois Letexier of racist slurs directed at him by the Argentine player. According to media reports, Prestianni allegedly called the Brazilian a "monkey," while covering his mouth with his shirt to make lip-reading more difficult. The game was then halted for 11 minutes, sparking major controversy in European media. Vinicius Junior has long been the face of the fight against racism in European football. Since 2021, he has repeatedly reported instances of discrimination in Spain's La Liga, leading to the first-ever convictions of fans receiving custodial sentences for racist chants in stadiums. The suspension is provisional and aims to ensure calm during the return leg in Madrid, which will be officiated by Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic. UEFA noted that the investigation remains ongoing, and after gathering full evidence, harsher disciplinary sanctions could be imposed on Prestianni. Real Madrid, who won the first leg 1-0, has filed a formal complaint with the European federation, demanding decisive action against the Benfica player. Prestianni's conduct has been sharply criticized by the 'Royal' club's community, including reserve team coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who emphasized that blaming the victim for provocation is unacceptable. Benfica's authorities are refraining from extensive comments for now, awaiting final rulings from the disciplinary bodies. Meanwhile, the match at the Santiago Bernabéu has been designated as high-risk. Fans in Madrid have announced support actions for their leader, while UEFA seeks to avoid further escalation of racial tensions in the world's premier club competition.

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