In a game valid for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, this Tuesday (17), Real Madrid player, Vinicius Junior, accused Argentine player, Gianluca Prestianni, of committing racism.
The confusion began after the athlete scored the goal and went to celebrate in front of the Portuguese team’s flag. Therefore, Prestianni ended up not liking the celebration and started an intrigue with Vinicius. In the midst of this, the Benfica player ended up putting the shirt in his mouth and ended up saying racist words.
With that, the match referee made the sign that UEFA protocoled in cases of racism, representing an X.
Even though he activated the anti-racism protocol, Prestianni was not punished. He continued on the field without suffering a yellow card.
Mbappé defended his teammate
The French player, after what happened, came to Prestiani and called him a racist. After the end of the game, he reported having heard the Benfica athlete call Vinicius a monkey five times.
More than 20 cases of racism registered against the athlete
Since arriving at Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior has received more than 20 racist insults. The most famous case was a valid match against Valencia, a Spanish team, when fans located behind one of the goals chanted racist insults against the Brazilian player. The match was stopped after Vinícius identified those responsible and alerted the referee. The striker also spoke out on the field, pointing to the stands while demanding action.
The case gained international repercussion and led to investigations by Spanish authorities. Months later, three fans were sentenced to eight months in prison for a hate crime, in addition to being banned from attending stadiums for two years.
Real Madrid and Benfica will meet again next week, in a game that will be valid for the second round of the round of 16 of the Champions League.
