UEFA has provisionally suspended Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni for one match after he allegedly made racist comments toward Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior during their Champions League knockout play-off. The incident occurred in the first leg, causing a 10-minute stoppage as Vinicius initially refused to continue playing. UEFA has opened an investigation into allegations of "discriminatory behaviour" during the match.

Prestianni, who denies the allegations, will miss the second leg while the investigation proceeds. Benfica announced they will appeal the temporary suspension, though they acknowledge it likely won't affect the upcoming match. The controversy has drawn sharp criticism toward manager Jose Mourinho, who avoided media duties before the return leg at the Bernabeu. Mourinho was sent off during the first match and is suspended for the second leg, where his team must overturn a 1-0 deficit.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe stated he heard Prestianni make racist comments toward Vinicius, who celebrated his goal by dancing in front of Benfica fans before the alleged incident. Vinicius later posted on social media that "racists are, above all, cowards" and criticized the handling of the situation. The incident adds to Vinicius's history of facing racist abuse in stadiums, including a 2023 case in Spain that resulted in jail sentences for three Valencia fans.