Portuguese club Benfica have revealed that their player Gianluca Pristiani confessed to racially insulting Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 qualifier.
According to reports today (Thursday), manager Prishtiani admitted to Benfica players that he described Vinicius Junior as a “monkey”. However, the Argentine player cited several arguments to confirm that he is not a racist and did not mean it in that way.
Benfica statement
In an official statement from the club, Benfica immediately denied these allegations, saying: “Benfica categorically denies that Pristiani told the team or the club management that he directed the racist insult towards Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior.”
The statement added: “As previously announced, the player has apologized to his teammates for the incident that occurred against Real Madrid, expressed regret for its scale and consequences, and assured everyone that he is not a racist.”
UEFA decision
It is worth noting that UEFA has suspended Prishtiani for one match pending the completion of an ongoing investigation for his alleged racist insult towards Vinicius Junior.
Portuguese club Benfica has revealed the truth behind allegations that their player Gianluca Prestianni allegedly made a racist insult towards Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 qualifying match.
Reports today (Thursday) claimed that Prestianni admitted to Benfica players that he had called Vinicius Junior a “monkey”, but the Argentine player offered several arguments to claim he was not racist and did not intend to do so.
Benfica statement
Benfica immediately denied these allegations, with an official club statement saying: “Benfica categorically denies that Prestiani ever told the team or the club management that he directed the racist insult towards Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior.”
The statement added: “As previously announced, the player has apologized to his team-mates for the incident against Real Madrid, expressing regret for its scale and impact and assuring everyone that he is not a racist.”
UEFA decision
Significantly, European Football Association (UEFA) decided to suspend Prestianni’s one-match suspension pending an investigation into the incident regarding the alleged racist insult against Vinicius Junior.
