UEFA ban Benfica's Prestianni for Discriminatory Conduct
Last update: April 24, 2026
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UEFA hands Prestianni six games ban...
Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni was on Friday banned by UEFA for six matches after an incident in their Champions League clash against Real Madrid in February.
The European football governing body said that they had taken the decision to ban the Argentine "for discriminatory homophobic conduct", with three of those matches suspended for a two-year probationary period.
UEFA said that Prestianni, had already served one of those matches in the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Madrid.
The winger was provisionally banned for that game after Madrid star Vinicius Junior accused him of racism when they clashed in the first leg on February 17, an allegation Prestianni denied.
As the two argued, Prestianni spoke to Vinicius while covering his mouth, with the Brazilian later complaining to the referee. This led to the match being suspended for 10 minutes.
