UEFA has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector after allegations a racist slur was directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during last night’s Champions League match against Benfica.
The match, in Lisbon, Portugal, was halted five minutes into the second half, shortly after Vinicius gave the away side a 1-0 lead in the first leg of the knockout playoffs.
Cameras picked up the 25-year-old telling French referee Francois Letexier he had been targeted in a comment made to him by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.
Prestianni has denied making a racist slur, claiming the Madrid player “misinterpreted what he thought he heard”.
In a statement, UEFA said that an “Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour” during the game.
It added that “further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course”.
Responding to the UEFA announcement, Benfica said they view the appointment “with a spirit of complete collaboration, transparency, openness and a sense of clarity”.
The statement added the club “clearly and unequivocally” reaffirms their commitment to “equality, respect and inclusion” but added that they regret “the defamation campaign to which the player has been subjected”.
The Champions League match was stopped for 11 minutes as Vinicius went to the sidelines at the Estadio da Luz.
Both coaches, Benfica’s Jose Mourinho and Madrid’s Alvaro Arbeloa, talked to him at one point.
It appeared that Benfica players were not happy with the forward because he celebrated his goal by dancing in front of the corner flag, and some went to confront him.
Vinicius had been shown a yellow card after the celebration.
After the forward’s complaint, Letexier responded by crossing his arms in front of his face, activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocol and stopping the match.
Real’s players threatened to leave the pitch as tensions rose, but the referee eventually allowed the match to resume.
UEFA’s three-step procedure for dealing with alleged racism inside stadiums
Step one – If the referee becomes aware of alleged racist behaviour, or is informed of it by the fourth official, he or she will stop the game.
The referee will then request an announcement to be made over the public address system asking spectators to immediately stop any alleged racist behaviour – if the alleged racism involves the crowd.
Step two – If the alleged racist behaviour does not cease after the game has restarted, the referee will suspend the match for a reasonable period of time, for example, five to ten minutes, and request teams to go to the dressing rooms.
A further announcement is then made over the public address system.
Step three – As a final resort, if the alleged racist behaviour continues after a second restart, the referee can definitively abandon the match.
The UEFA delegate responsible for the match will assist the referee, through the fourth official, in determining whether the alleged racist behaviour has ceased.
Any decision to abandon the match will only be taken after all other possible measures have been implemented and the impact of abandoning the match on the security of the players and public has been assessed.
After the match, the case is referred to UEFA’s disciplinary authorities.
The teams are due to go to Madrid to play the second leg, with the Spanish side 1-0 up, but Sky News’ sports correspondent Rob Harris said there could be sanctions – including a ban for the Benfica player if he is found guilty of racial abuse.
In a post on his Instagram story after the game, Vinicius said that “racists are, above all, cowards”.
He added, however, that he felt “they have, on their side, the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish”.
“Nothing that happened here today was new in my life and my family’s”, Vinicius then said. “I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why.
“On the other hand, just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don’t like appearing in situations like this, even more so after a great victory and when the headlines have to be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”
In a message on his own Instagram, Prestianni said: “I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at the player Vinicius Junior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he heard.
“I have never been racist towards anyone, and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
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Vinicius has made multiple allegations of racist abuse by both players and fans since he moved to Spain’s La Liga in 2018, including during matches against Real’s fiercest rivals, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.
In 2023, he reacted to alleged racist abuse in a match at Valencia by saying “racism is normal in La Liga”.
Later that year, the Vinicius Jr law was passed in Brazil to combat racism at sporting events.
In 2024, at a news conference ahead of Brazil’s friendly against Spain in Madrid – a game organised to raise awareness of racism in the sport – Vinicius broke down, admitting he had “less will to play” because of the abuse directed toward him.