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The Benfica winger is set to miss Wednesday's Champions League play-off second leg tie against Real Madrid

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The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member features. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Fantastic football content straight to your inbox! From the latest transfer news, quizzes, videos, features and interviews with the biggest names in the game, plus lots more. Sign up to our FREE live football newsletter, tracking all of the biggest games available to watch on the device of your choice. Never miss a kick-off! Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. UEFA have handed Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni a provisional one-match ban following Vinicius Jr’s reporting of alleged racist abuse during the Portuguese side’s Champions League play-off first leg last week. The two sides are due to meet again at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening, with the Argentine now set to miss the second leg following the UEFA judgment. The ban has been imposed on a provisional basis, pending an investigation from an ethics and disciplinary inspector, with UEFA confirming that further punishment was an option upon completion of the investigation.

The incident occurred during the second half of last week’s Champions League play-off first leg, with Vinicius telling referee Francois Letexier that he had been racially abused by Prestianni following the Brazilian’s stunning goal. Vincius was then booked for his celebration in front of the Benfica fans. Vincent Kompany defends Vini Jr and criticizes José Mourinho for his statements after the game pic. twitter. com/FC5BZSm Jxb February 20, 2026 The tie was halted for ten minutes after Vincius alerted Letexier, with the Real Madrid side then leaving the pitch. Benfica boss Jose Mourinho, who was later sent off and will also miss Wednesday’s second leg, was criticised for his post-match comments when he said be believed that Vinicius celebration was disrespectful. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. He now faces the prospect of his winger missing out on the second leg in Madrid, despite the investigation remaining ongoing, due UEFA’s ruling that there is enough evidence to support a ‘prima facie violation’ based on the available evidence. The UEFA statement continued: “This is without prejudice to any ruling that the Uefa disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the Uefa disciplinary bodies. " Benfica quickly issued a response to Prestianni’s ban, saying that the club "regrets being deprived of the player while the process is still under investigation”, adding that they would launch an appeal "even though the deadlines in question are unlikely to have any practical effect on the second leg of the Champions League play-off. "

If UEFA find Prestianni guilty of racism then he could face a ban of up to ten matches. The term 'prima facie' which UEFA have cited comes from the Latin for 'at first sight' or 'at first look', and means that the party with the burden of proof need only to present enough evidence to create a revbuttable presumption that the matter asserted is true. UEFA previously used this term in 2021, when Rangers' Glen Kamara accused Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela of racist abuse in a Europa League game. Kudeka would be found guilty and a 10-match ban was upheld. For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and Leeds Live among others and worked at Four Four Two throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

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