UEFA has officially announced that Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni has been given a one-match temporary suspension for allegedly using discriminatory language during a match. He will therefore miss Wednesday's crucial Champions League second-leg match against Real Madrid.

This controversy stems from the first leg of their encounter last week. In Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Benfica, Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. ran towards the Benfica corner flag to celebrate after scoring a goal, an action that sparked strong discontent among some of the home team's players.

After the match, Vinicius accused Prestiani of using racist language to insult him, and his teammate Kylian Mbappé also said he heard the remarks. According to internal sources, Prestiani has admitted to UEFA that he used homophobic insults, but firmly denies any racist intent.

Following the allegations and preliminary reports, UEFA swiftly initiated an ethics and disciplinary investigation. The official statement indicated that, based on the existing preliminary prima facie evidence, Prestiani's actions are suspected of violating Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations regarding the prohibition of discriminatory conduct.

Therefore, UEFA has decided to impose a temporary one-match suspension on Prestiani pending the full results of the investigation. It is worth noting that if the final investigation finds him guilty of racial discrimination, Prestiani could face a long-term ban of up to 10 matches.

Benfica FC quickly issued an official response to UEFA's ban. The club expressed regret over losing Prestiani before the investigation was fully concluded and announced that it would appeal the decision.

However, Benfica also admitted that with the Champions League play-off second leg approaching, the time pressure makes it unlikely that the appeal will have a substantial effect on overturning the result. At the end of the statement, Benfica reiterated the club's zero-tolerance stance against all forms of racism and discrimination.

Image source: Internet