Prestiani was suspended for homophobic discriminatory conduct in a Champions League match against Real Madrid in February.
Published on 24 April 2026
UEFA announced that Benfica’s Gianluca Pristiani has been handed a six-match suspension for discriminatory conduct in a Champions League match against Real Madrid which was deemed homophobic.
UEFA said on Friday that Prestiani would be banned for two more matches, with a further three-match suspension “subject to a two-year probationary period starting from the date of the current decision”. He has already served a temporary suspension of one match.
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The Argentine winger was accused of making racist comments at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the Spanish team’s 1-0 Champions League playoff first-leg win in February.
The first leg was suspended for 11 minutes shortly after Vinicius gave Real the lead at the start of the second half.
Television footage showed Prestieni repeatedly covering his mouth with his shirt before making the comment, which Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as a racial slur against the 25-year-old.
Prestiani denied the allegation that he had made racist comments and said that Vinicius had misheard him. Real’s Aurelien Tchoumeni said that the Argentine player told him that he did not call Vinicius a “monkey” but made a homophobic comment at him.
UEFA also said they would request FIFA to extend the worldwide suspension.
The suspension includes a one-match provisional suspension imposed during the second leg of their knockout playoff on 25 February, which Real Madrid advanced by winning 2–1.
Benfica said they had been informed of the ban imposed on Prestiani.
“One of the effective bans of three matches has already been served and the remaining two must be imposed in UEFA matches or, in the context of FIFA, Argentina national team matches,” Benfica said.
Prestiani has only played once for Argentina, making his debut as a late substitute in a friendly game against Angola in November.
