Luisao says Prestianni lied about racist act towards Vinicius

Real Madrid beat Benfica in a Champions League tie that was paused for around ten minutes after referee François Letexier activated the competition's anti-racism protocol when Vinicius Júnior reported racist abuse. Vinicius scored the only goal and afterwards criticised both the incident and how the protocol was handled, saying racists are cowards and questioning why he received a yellow card for celebrating.

Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni has denied using discriminatory language, saying his words were misheard, and the club has publicly backed him. Manager José Mourinho also defended the club, urging restraint, telling Vinicius he should have celebrated and walked back, and stressing Benfica’s history and values while saying he did not want to judge the conflicting accounts.

Benfica great Luisao, who made more than 500 appearances for the club, accused Prestianni of lying and called the episode a racist act, saying he was ashamed.

real madrid, benfica, vinicius júnior, gianluca prestianni, luisao, josé mourinho, françois letexier, champions league, racist abuse, yellow card