Vinicius Jr alleges racist abuse by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during Champions League game

Real Madrid’s Champions League game against Benfica was halted for around 10 minutes in the second half after an incident of alleged racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior.

The incident occurred after the Madrid forward had opened the scoring in the 50th minute. Following his celebration and subsequent confrontation with Benfica players, Vinicius Jr ran over to referee Francois Letexier and appeared to point towards Benfica forward Gianluca Prestianni. Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho, speaking after the game, said Prestianni denied saying something racist.

The game finished 1-0 to the away side but was overshadowed by what happened following Vinicius Jr’s goal.

The 25-year-old’s Madrid team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold called the incident a “disgrace to football”, while Kylian Mbappe said “something has to be done” and “what happened today is more important than football” after he heard Prestianni “say that Vinicius is a monkey, five times”.

What happened?

Vinicius Jr celebrated in front of Benfica fans at the Estadio da Luz and was targeted by objects thrown from the Portuguese crowd.

The forward was booked by Letexier following his celebration and had exchanges with several Benfica players, including Prestianni, who had covered his mouth with his shirt. Other Madrid players were involved as the two sides clashed. During this period, Vinicius Jr ran back over to Letexier and appeared to point at Prestianni, with the French official then appearing to invoke FIFA’s ‘No Racism Gesture’ by crossing his arms in an X shape above his head.

Mbappe also appeared upset during the stoppage. Madrid staff, including head coach Alvaro Arbeloa, spoke to both players, and Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho spoke to Vinicius Jr.

Letexier then spoke to the two captains, Madrid’s Federico Valverde and Benfica’s Nicolas Otamendi. During the stoppage, Vinicius Jr went and sat back down on the Madrid bench for several minutes, while separately, a Benfica staff member was sent off.

The game resumed after a 10-minute delay, with Vinicius Jr then booed by the home fans when he touched the ball. Later in the half, Valverde also appeared to mimic a monkey gesture to Letexier, apparently indicating racial abuse.

Further objects were thrown towards Vinicius Jr and Alexander-Arnold from the same section of the crowd across multiple incidents in the final minutes of the game, causing more delays.

What is the ‘No Racism Gesture’?

FIFA’s guidance on racism during matches says: “Following its unanimous approval at the 74th FIFA Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, on 17 May 2024, a global crossed arms gesture to signal racist abuse is now part of football protocol at FIFA tournaments.

“The No Racism Gesture is designed to empower players, team officials and referees to take a stand against racism.

“By crossing their hands at the wrists, players can signal directly to the referee that they are being targeted by racist abuse, prompting the referee to start the three-step procedure.”

FIFA’s No Racism Gesture was used by referee Ramon Abatti during the Club World Cup match between Madrid and Mexican side Pachuca last summer. Antonio Rudiger alleged that Gustavo Cabral had abused him, which the Pachuca captain denied, and reported the incident to Abatti.

UEFA has its own racism reporting initiative that referees can implement. UEFA and FIFA have a three-step protocol for stopping matches after alleged incidents, which can end in matches being abandoned. The Athletic has contacted UEFA for comment.

How players reacted

Posting on Instagram after the game, Vinicius Jr said: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts over their mouths to show how weak they are.

“But they have, alongside them, the protection of others who, in theory, have an obligation to punish. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my family’s life.”

Valverde, speaking to Spanish broadcaster Movistar, said “something ugly” had been said towards Vinicius Jr.

“It’s a very serious matter,” the Uruguayan added. “It (racist abuse of Vinicius Jr) has happened many times before. I don’t think walking off the field is an option that the football spectacle likes, but there’s also a person who damages the spectacle by saying something that’s not right.”

Alexander-Arnold said what had happened was a “disgrace to football”, using the phrase multiple times when speaking to Amazon Prime. “There’s no place for it in football or society, it’s disgusting,” the defender added.

Mbappe, meanwhile, said in a mixed zone: “We can’t accept that there’s a player who plays in the best football competition in Europe and who behaves like that. He doesn’t deserve to play anymore in the Champions League, that’s my opinion, but let’s see what happens.

“We thought about leaving the pitch. It was the team’s decision. We have focused on what we had to do, we won the game. But today, the game is not the most important thing. What happened is much more important than football.

“I said to Vini, ‘What do you want to do?’ In the end, it was Vini who had this said to him. I said to Vini, ‘Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it, as a team’. I said before we’d never leave Vini alone, as a team we have to support our player.”

What next?

Referee Letexier will submit a report from the match and UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body will determine whether an investigation will be opened.

UEFA’s guidelines state that any player found guilty of racist conduct must be suspended for a minimum of ten matches, and such disciplinary sanctions should be accompanied by awareness programs run by the club.

Vinicius Jr often a target

Vincius Jr has been the subject of racist abuse several times in his career. The 25-year-old was targeted by Atletico Madrid fans in January 2023 and Valencia supporters in May of the same year, both instances during La Liga matches in Spain.

Last May, five supporters were given suspended prison sentences and fined for racist chants directed at the Brazil international during a match against Real Valladolid.

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