Gianluca Prestianni should face prison sentence if he’s found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jr

Former footballer Paul Elliott has called for Gianluca Prestianni to face prison time should he be found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Junior.

Prestianni was accused of the act by the Brazilian during the first leg of Benfica’s Champions League play-off against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

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The incident sparked a 10-minute pause in action as per UEFA protocols upon a player reporting alleged racial abuse to the match official.

Kylian Mbappe also took a swipe at Prestianni during and after the match, with footage showing the French superstar’s fury towards the Benfica midfielder.

Prestianni claims innocence in racism allegation saga

Amid Vinicius Jr’s claims, Prestianni took to Instagram in the hours following the contest to protest his innocence.

“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” Prestianni wrote.

“I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”

In the wake of the incident, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate Vinicius Jr’s allegations of ‘discriminatory behaviour’.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s White and Jordan, Elliott, who is the vice chairman of Charlton Athletic and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) lead, reminded the panel that Prestianni’s alleged act is ultimately ‘a criminal offence.’

Why Elliott called for potential prison time amid Prestianni’s alleged act

Elliott said: “If you said that on the street what would happen? You’d go through a judicial process, and then at the end of that, there would be a jury, independent judicature, and you could be subjected to a prison sentence in the same way that those fans were in prison for eight months.”

And when asked by Jordan what the reaction from authorities would be should such a judicial process resulting in criminal prosecutions stemming from incidents in football get introduced, Elliott replied: “The authorities should welcome that and accept that.

“Because what that does, players have to realise, just like we talk about human players no one is above the law.

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“Players aren’t above the law. Players are human beings.

“So it’s about establishing that within the framework of the law. These are the consequences.

“Now, if players know for inappropriate language, using that language, and I know we talk about the balance of probability or beyond reasonable doubt, whatever test is used.

“If it’s made clear beyond reasonable doubt that the consequences are that within the judicial system they have within their gift that they can put you in prison for that type of behaviour the same way you can do it to sport, to society, to fans, to people in the street.”

Hiding behind shirt is ‘not a good look’

Elliott also expressed his frustration with players attempting to hide what they say by covering their mouths with either their hands or shirts, which was what Prestianni did as he allegedly uttered a racial slur towards Vinicius Jr.

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“Why should you need to do that in the first place, if you’ve got nothing to hide,” Elliott said.

“The game is constantly evolving and we have to move forward with it and modernise. This is an area where we’ve seen the negative consequences of the impact on this. What we’re saying is, how can we make football better, how can we make it more effective, how can we make it more efficient?

“How can we put out that message that says to players, if you’re then going to use inappropriate language, talking through your shirt trying to distort what you’ve said.

“With all due respect, you know and I know that if we’re talking about beyond reasonable doubt, I think without making any pre-judgements, that’s not a good look.”