Vinicius accuses Prestianni of racial slur; Mbappe urges Champions League ban

Real Madrid beat Benfica 1-0 in their Champions League tie, but the match at the Estadio da Luz was halted after Vinicius Junior reported alleged racist abuse by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. Vinicius scored the winner early in the second half and was booked for his celebration.

Play stopped for about 10 minutes as referee Francois Letexier activated FIFA's racism protocol and the Real Madrid players left the pitch before the game restarted. Vinicius posted on Instagram that 'Racists are, above all, cowards' and criticised the handling of the protocol, saying the incident overshadowed what should have been headlines about Real Madrid.

The Brazilian Football Confederation said it stood in solidarity with him, calling racism a crime and pledging to remain firm in the fight against discrimination. Prestianni denied the allegation on social media, saying he never directed racist insults and that Vinicius had misunderstood what he heard, and he regretted the threats he received from Real Madrid players.

Brazil

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