Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has called on UEFA to ban Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni from the Champions League after the Argentine was accused of directing a racist slur at Vinicius Jr during Tuesday’s 1-0 playoff first-leg win in Lisbon.
The incident occurred shortly after Vinicius curled Real into the lead five minutes into the second half. Television footage showed the Argentine winger covering his mouth with his shirt before making a comment that Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as a racial slur. Referee Francois Letexier halted the match for 11 minutes after activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocols.
“What I saw is very clear: number 25 said five times to Vini that you are a monkey. Everyone can have their opinion, but this kind of behavior is unacceptable. It’s wonderful to play in the Champions League, but showing this image is terrible for world football,” Mbappe said in the mixed zone at Da Luz.
Mbappe added: “I called him racist because I think he is. He tried to hide behind his shirt, but his face doesn’t lie. This type of person is not a professional colleague. A young player cannot have the freedom to say things like this on a football field. It’s a big problem, and we’ll see what happens.”
The French forward acknowledged that Vinicius is very upset after experiencing this latest episode of racism and praised his performance: “He scored a wonderful goal that gave Real Madrid the victory.”
Mbappe told reporters he heard Prestianni direct the same racist remark at Vinicius several times, an allegation also leveled by Real’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. He said he had been prepared to leave the pitch but was persuaded by Vinicius to continue playing.
“Sporting matters ceased to be important tonight. This is the Champions League, the most important football competition in the world, and we cannot ignore what happened. We have to set an example for all the children watching us at home. What happened today is the kind of thing we cannot accept because the world is watching us,” Mbappe said.
“We cannot accept that there is a player in Europe’s top football competition who behaves like this. This guy doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League anymore. That’s my opinion, but I don’t know what they’re going to do. UEFA is trying to do things against racism and I think they should do something about what happened here today.”
Denying the accusation, Prestianni wrote on Instagram: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho told Movistar Plus that the Argentine had denied the allegations. “Vinicius says one thing and Prestianni says another,” Mourinho said.
The atmosphere grew hostile after play resumed, with Vinicius and Mbappe loudly booed by the home crowd whenever they touched the ball. The flashpoint followed a deluge of missiles thrown at Vinicius as he celebrated his goal in front of Benfica’s supporters.
Vinicius later posted a statement on social media: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their mouth with their shirt to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or my family’s life.”
“I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”
The Brazilian has faced repeated racist abuse in Spain, with 18 legal complaints filed against racist behavior targeting Vinicius since 2022. The most recent incident was before a Copa del Rey tie against second-tier Albacete in January.
Benfica responded at 2:11 am, more than four hours after the final whistle, by posting a video on their X account showing the exchange from behind and claiming that “these images demonstrate, given the distance, that the Real Madrid players could not have heard what they claim to have heard.”
UEFA is expected to investigate the matter once they receive the observations of the match officials.
