Vinicius Junior was allegedly subjected to racist abuse during Real Madrid’s Champions League knockout round play-off away match against Benfica. Argentine newspaper Olé reports that if the allegations are proven true, Prestianni could face extremely severe punishment.
On February 17, the match was temporarily suspended after Vinicius refused to continue playing, having allegedly suffered racist abuse from Prestianni.
According to Olé, following Vinicius’ accusation of racial discrimination against Prestianni, UEFA will launch an investigation into the case, with disciplinary sanctions to be imposed in line with UEFA regulations.
The newspaper adds that if the complaint is confirmed, Prestianni risks a minimum 10-match ban.
Under Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, “any person or entity who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on any grounds, including skin colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, shall be banned from taking part in any football-related activity for at least ten matches or for a specified period, or any other appropriate sanction.”