Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has been handed a six-game ban by UEFA for his homophobic conduct against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. during their Champions League knockout play-off match in February. The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) officially suspended Prestianni following a formal investigation into his conduct.
Prestianni reportedly had a heated exchange with Vinicius Jr, which resulted to the match at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon getting halted for 10 minutes. Vinicius Jr had accused Prestianni of racially abusing him. But the 20-year-old denied making a racist comment and said Vinicius misheard him.
However, Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni confirmed that Prestianni had told him he had directed a homophobic comment towards the Brazil forward.
UEFA outlines Gianluca Prestianni ban
The CEDB released an official statement, detailing a structured punishment for Prestianni. While he will be banned for six games, three of those games are subject to a two-year probationary period. They will serve as a “final warning” to the former Velez Sarsfield starlet, as any further breach of conduct will trigger the immediate enforcement of the remaining three games.
“To suspend SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni for a total of six (6) UEFA club and/or representative national team official matches for which he would otherwise be eligible, for discriminatory (i.e. homophobic) conduct,” the statement read. “The suspension for three (3) of these matches is subject to a probationary period of two (2) years, starting from the date of the present decision.”
“This decision (i.e. the six-match suspension) includes the one-match provisional suspension served by the player during UEFA Champions League 2025/26 knock-out play-off match played on 25 February 2026 between Real Madrid CF and SL Benfica.”
UEFA requests FIFA to extend Gianluca Prestianni’s suspension worldwide
UEFA has formally requested that FIFA extend Prestianni’s suspension worldwide. If granted, it means the Argentine player would not be able to feature for his country and in the Portuguese Primeira Liga until most of his suspension is fully served. This is to ensure disciplinary measures remain consistent across all jurisdictions.
