According to Sky Sports, Gianluca Prestiani has been handed a provisional one-match suspension by UEFA.
The ruling ensures that the Argentine winger will miss Wednesday’s crucial second leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
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The decision came as a direct result of the ongoing investigation into allegations of racist abuse directed at Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during the first leg in Lisbon.
Gianluca Prestiani handed provisional suspension
The suspension stems from last Tuesday’s heated battle at the Estadio da Luz. After Vinicius scored the winning goal in the second half, the match was stopped for nearly 10 minutes after Prestiani reportedly called the Brazilian a “monkey”.
The 20-year-old covered his mouth with his shirt during the conversation, but Kylian Mbappe corroborated this claim, reportedly telling officials he heard the slur repeated five times.
UEFA’s Management, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee confirmed the ban on Monday, saying the final decision was issued “without prejudice”.
If found guilty after a full investigation, Prestiani could be suspended for at least 10 games.
Benfica announced they would appeal against the provisional measures but admitted it was unlikely to be resolved in time for Wednesday’s kick-off.
Jose Mourinho skips media duties after backlash over ‘gaslighting’
Sky Sports has further heightened tensions by reporting that Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has decided to exercise his right to skip all pre- and post-match media duties ahead of the team’s trip to Madrid.
Mourinho is currently serving a touchline ban himself after being sent off in the first leg, allowing him to hand over reporting responsibilities to his assistant Joao Trallan.
Mourinho faced a barrage of criticism for his post-match comments last week, in which he appeared to blame Vinicius for the incident.
The ‘Special One’ drew the ire of anti-racism group Kick It Out, which accused it of ‘gaslighting’ after suggesting the Brazilian’s goal celebration had incited the home crowd and players.
“Something always happens in the stadium where Vinicius plays,” Mourinho told Amazon Prime, a statement that sparked a fierce rebuttal from Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany, who called it a “big mistake”.
Mourinho appears intent on shielding himself from the mounting pressure by avoiding the cameras this week as he faces the difficult task of overturning a depleted and distracted Benfica side from a 1-0 deficit in the Spanish capital.
