LISBON — Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing him during the teams’ Champions League playoff first leg on Tuesday, leading the match to be paused for 10 minutes in the second half.
Vinícius scored to put Madrid ahead in the 50th minute in Lisbon — the only goal in a 1-0 win — and was then confronted by Prestianni after celebrating by the corner flag.
Prestianni could be seen speaking to Vinícius while covering his mouth with his jersey, before the Brazil international pointed to him and ran toward the referee.
Vinícius spoke to referee Francois Letexier, who made the “arms-crossed” gesture indicating that an accusation of racist abuse had been made.
“Racists are cowards,” Vinícius posted on Instagram after the game. “They need to put their shirt over their mouths to show how weak they are.”
The match at the Estádio da Luz was then put on hold, as Vinícius, appearing distressed, spoke to Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa, Benfica’s José Mourinho and teammates.
Arbeloa later confirmed that Madrid had been willing to abandon the field if Vinícius wanted to, but that after discussions, the team had decided to continue.
“Tolerance for racism has to be zero,” Arbeloa said in his postmatch news conference. “Things like that can’t happen on a pitch in 2026 … I asked [Vini] if he wanted to keep playing. I told him we were with him. We have to be by his side, always.”
“The referee told me he hadn’t heard anything, and can’t do anything in that situation,” Arbeloa added. “Whatever Vini said, we would have been with him … Zero tolerance for this.”
Vinícius was also shown a yellow card following his goal, after he celebrated with a dance by the corner flag and was then confronted by several Benfica players.
“I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal, and I still don’t understand why,” Vinícius said on Instagram. “And then there’s a protocol, poorly implemented, which doesn’t do anything.”
Speaking in the postmatch mixed zone, Kylian Mbappé said Prestianni had racially abused Vinícius multiple times, adding that the Argentinian “didn’t deserve to play in the Champions League again.”
“It’s ruined the night, it’s a disgrace to the sport,” Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold told CBS. “It’s a disgrace in society as well. There is no place for it. But if incidents like this do happen, we can only deal with it the way like we did tonight.
“I’m very proud of the team, and the club and the squad and how everyone reacted.”
“According to teammates who were nearby, they heard something very nasty,” Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde said. “It’s a shame that with so many cameras, it wasn’t recorded.”
“This can’t happen,” Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni told Movistar. “Vini told us the guy called him a monkey … Vini told us we had to keep playing. I said that if there’s a problem, we’ll leave as a team, that’s it. But we talked, and we said we had to win.”
Benfica players said Prestianni told them that he provoked Vinícius but never used any racist insult.
“I asked him and he said it was a normal provocation between players during a match,” Benfica midfielder Leandro Barreiro said. “He said it was nothing racist.”
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) released a statement in support of its player.
“The CBF stands in solidarity with Vinícius Júnior, victim of yet another act of racism this Tuesday after scoring for Real Madrid against Benfica in Lisbon,” it said.
“Racism is a crime. It is unacceptable. It cannot exist in football or anywhere else. Vini, you are not alone. Your actions in activating the protocol are an example of courage and dignity.
“We are proud of you. We will remain firm in the fight against all forms of discrimination. We are by your side. Always.”
Benfica will travel to Madrid next week for the playoff second leg at the Bernabéu on Feb. 25.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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