Gianluca Prestianni spotted training at Bernabeu with teammates despite suspension

Gianluca Prestianni has been taking part in training with Benfica despite being slapped with a provisional one-match UEFA ban.

Prestianni was handed the punishment while the investigation continues into alleged racial abuse directed towards Vinicius Junior.

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His ban has ruled him out of the second leg of his side’s Champions League knockout phase play-off against Real Madrid.

But the 20-year-old has still travelled with Jose Mourinho‘s side, training with the squad at the Bernabeu one day before the game.

The incident between Prestianni and Vinicius Jr. occurred during the knockout play-off first leg between the two teams last week.

Brazilian forward Vini Jr. opened the scoring with a spectacular curling strike into the top right corner to earn Los Blancos a 1-0 win.

He proceeded to dance in front of the Benfica fans in his celebration, leading to an enraged Prestianni to get into his face.

It was during this exchange that one-cap Argentina international, Prestianni, is alleged to have used a racial slur.

Vinicius Jr alerted the match official to report he had been subject to racial abuse, with the winger subsequently walking off the pitch – following UEFA’s protocols for when such a situation occurs.

The match was ultimately halted for ten minutes.

And while UEFA investigate the matter, they stated that Prestianni will play no part in the return leg on Wednesday night.

A UEFA statement read: “Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026.

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“And upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour.

“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.

“Further information about this matter will be made available in due course.”

Players’ statements

Following the game last Tuesday, Vinicius Jr released a statement where he branded Prestianni a ‘coward’.

He said: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are.

“But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them.

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“Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why.

“On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.

“I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”

Prestianni, meanwhile, defended himself, claiming he never used any racial language.

He remarked: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”

Should Prestianni be found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jr, ex-Chelsea defender Paul Elliott believes the 20-year-old should be sent to prison.