Real Madrid’s Champions League progression to the last 16, secured with a 3-1 aggregate victory over Benfica, was framed as “a victory for everyone who stands against racism” by midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni following allegations of racial abuse during the tie.
The comments followed an incident in the first leg, played in Lisbon, where Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior reported being subjected to racist remarks by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. Prestianni denied the allegations, but UEFA subsequently imposed a provisional one-match ban, ruling him out of Wednesday’s second leg in Madrid.
UEFA dismissed Benfica’s appeal against the suspension on Wednesday, confirming that Prestianni would remain sidelined for the return fixture. A UEFA statement read that Prestianni remains provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition match, pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector. The investigation was opened following allegations of “discriminatory behaviour” during the first leg.
Prior to kick-off at the Santiago Bernabéu, Real Madrid supporters displayed a banner reading “no to racism” in Spanish, demonstrating solidarity with Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian international was again on the scoresheet in Madrid, netting Real’s second goal in a 2-1 win on the night, after Real had fallen behind.
Tchouaméni emphasized the significance of the situation extending beyond the sporting contest. “I reckon there are more important things than this match, than football,” he said. “Vinicius keeps his confidence and he keeps focused on what he needs to do. I think they made the right decision by not letting the boy [Prestianni] play this match. Like I said, there are things more important than football and this is a victory for all of us.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Real Madrid and England defender, described Vinícius as being “very chilled” and “very relaxed” before the fixture, adding that the forward’s performance did not demand to be measured by a goal to demonstrate his character. “He didn’t need to score to send a message or show his mentality,” Alexander-Arnold stated. “He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone because he’s shown time and time again how good he is. He steps up when we need him the most. He knows his quality and what he brings to the team.”
Prestianni travelled with the Benfica squad to Madrid despite the suspension, with club president Rui Costa stating that the player is “not racist” and that Benfica would not “permit a racist player within the squad.” Benfica admitted, however, that their appeal against the suspension was unlikely to have a practical effect on the second leg.
Vinícius Júnior initially refused to continue playing during the first leg in Lisbon following the alleged incident with Prestianni, leading to a 10-minute stoppage in play. The incident occurred after Vinícius had scored the opening goal of the match.
