Following the serious allegation of racial discrimination made by Vinicius Jr. against Gianluca Prestianni, the second leg between Real Madrid and SL Benfica was shaping up to be tense. In an effort to ease the situation, UEFA has taken a provisional measure ahead of the upcoming match.
Although Real Madrid secured the victory in the first leg, the result quickly became secondary. Vinicius Jr.’s complaint of racial discrimination against Benfica star Gianluca Prestianni turned into the main topic of debate, becoming a heated issue ahead of the UEFA Champions League playoff return leg. Seeking to prevent tensions from escalating further, UEFA has decided to implement a temporary measure to avoid the situation spiraling out of control.
“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 Play-off 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,” UEFA stated.
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