After Vinícius’ complaint against the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni for racist insults during the match that Real Madrid won 1-0 against Benfica in Lisbon, in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League, the voice that was missing was that of the Argentine striker himself, who made his defense on his social networks.
“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at the player Vinícius Junior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thinks he heard. I was never racist with anyone,” the former Vélez wrote in a story on his Instagram account.
Vinícius assured that Prestianni called him “monkey” when the Argentine attacker covered his mouth with his shirt.Kylian Mbappé, the Carioca’s teammate, stated that he heard that term five times from the Portuguese team player.Elfrancés called him a “fucking racist” after the incident.
In addition, he referred to the treatment of other footballers on the Merengue team: “And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
Meanwhile, the Portuguese club gave its support to Pretianni and wrote on its social networks “together, by your side”, with an image of the Argentine footballer.
In the match played this Tuesday at the Da Luz Stadium, in Lisbon, the episode following the Brazilian striker’s accusation forced referee Francois Letexier to stop the match for 12 minutes to apply the protocol in cases of racism, but neither he nor the VAR could confirm the alleged insult by the 20-year-old striker.UEFA began an investigation to determine what happened.The organization could apply a suspension of at least ten games to the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni if the accusation is proven, although the Court will have a complex task ahead, given that the former Vélez, 20 years old, covered his mouth with his shirt before addressing the Brazilian.
The controversy arose after the celebration of the goal scored by Vinicius himself, which was considered provocative towards the local public by the Benfica players.Some – among them Prestianni – reproached him for being an Al-Brazilian and there began a dialectical back and forth and there was also pushing.
The 20-year-old Argentine attacker was at the center of the scene.He was also accused by Mbappé himself, who demanded that the former Vélez no longer play in the Champions League.
The effervescence between Benfica and Real Madrid comes from the last date of the regular phase, in which the victory of the Portuguese team allowed them to get into the playoff zone for the round of 16 and sent the Spanish team to that stage.Other players from the White House supported Vinicius, such as Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni. While the Benfica coach, José Mourinho, stated that it is the Brazilian’s word against that of the Argentine.
Far from being just an anecdotal coincidence, the relationship between Prestianni and Vinicius was marked tonight with a new episode, in which their names are once again linked on the field of play, moving away from the friendly image previously spread.
This Tuesday was the first leg for the round of 16 and the second leg will be played on Wednesday, February 25 in Madrid.There Benfica will have to overcome the 0-1 suffered in the first leg against their people.
