UEFA Suspends Gianluca Prestianni for Six Matches Following Racial Abuse Incident

• Gianluca Prestianni handed a 6-game ban by the UEFA

• The Benfica midfielder had racially abused Real Madrid‘s star Vinicius Jr.

• Prestianni could miss two FIFA World Cup 2026 games if picked by the Argentinian team

UEFA issued a six-game ban to Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni on Friday for verbally abusing Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior during a Champions League match earlier this season.

A UEFA statement categorized Prestianni’s comments as “discriminatory (i.e. homophobic) conduct.”

UEFA noted that three of the six games are on probation, and he has already served one match as a provisional punishment. This means Prestianni will initially need to serve two more games of his suspension, which could impact his eligibility to play for Argentina in the World Cup if selected for the June tournament.

The first two games for Argentina are scheduled against Algeria on June 17 in Kansas City and Austria five days later in Arlington.

The 20-year-old winger made his first and only appearance for Argentina in a friendly match last November.

If Argentina does not select Prestianni for the World Cup in North America, he will carry out the ban during UEFA club competitions.

The incident occurred during a match in Lisbon in February. The game was halted for nearly 10 minutes after the Brazil forward scored and celebrated by the Benfica corner flag, which upset local fans and players. After being confronted by Prestianni, Vinícius accused the Argentine player of calling him a “monkey.”

Prestianni reportedly denied using the term “mono,” Spanish for “monkey,” but admitted to using a homophobic slur directed at Vinícius.