Benfica's Prestianni handed six matches ban for aiming 'homophobic slur' at Vinicius
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has handed Gianluca Prestianni, Benfica player, a six-match ban for a homophobic slur directed at Vinicius Jr.The Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) handed out the punishment to the Argentina international on Friday.Pestianni had aimed a dig at Vinicius Jr. in the second half of Benfica and Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 first tie in Portugal, with Vinicius reporting to the referee who initiated racism protocol and stopped the match for ten minutes.The 20-year-old denied racially abusing the Brazilian winger, and UEFA initiated investigations through its Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector.According to UEFA’s statement, the youngster was found culpable of potential discriminatory conduct and was found guilty of homophobia. The six-match ban will be served either in UEFA competitions or in official national team matches. However, Prestianni will serve a three-match ban immediately, and the rest of the suspensions are for two years.“The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) has decided to suspend SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni for a total of six (6) UEFA club and/or representative national team official matches for which he would otherwise be eligible, for discriminatory (i.e. homophobic) conduct.“The suspension for three (3) of these matches is subject to a probationary period of two (2) years, starting from the date of the present decision.”UEFA further stated that Prestianni has served one of his three-match suspension following the one-match provisional suspension that saw him miss the second leg in Madrid.The body also called upon FIFA, world football governing body, to extend the player’s worldwide, which could see him miss two matches in the upcoming 2022 World Cup if he makes the Argentina squad.Prestianni has featured in 37 matches for Benfica this season, with 3 goals and 5 assists in all competitions. He has not featured for Argentina since making his national team debut in November 2025.
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