Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni has finally broken his silence regarding the incident with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior during their Champions League match, controversially downplaying his offensive remarks. While vehemently denying accusations of racism, Prestianni also lashed out at Kylian Mbappe.
«Mbappe calls me a ‘damn racist’?» Prestianni reportedly fumed in an interview, referring to the French superstar and Real Madrid players. «They call me a racist, even though I never was and never will be. They insult you to throw you off your game, but I would never react; on the contrary, it’s about proving yourself on the field.»
According to reports, Mbappe firmly asserted after the match that «the number 25 player called Vini a monkey five times. I saw it myself.» The Spanish word ‘mono’ translates to monkey, but Prestianni claims Mbappe misheard him.
Prestianni: ‘A Normal Insult For Us Argentinians!’
Instead, the 20-year-old admitted to calling Vinicius Junior «cagon» (coward) and «maricon» (faggot) during the game, while attempting to justify these terms by stating they are «normal insults for us Argentinians.»
«I’ve had teammates with the same skin color as Vinicius, and nothing like this has ever happened with any of them – quite the opposite,» Prestianni continued. «Then they started calling me homophobic, which went too far. I felt like people just wanted to create drama out of things that weren’t true.»
Will Prestianni Face a Ten-Game Ban?
Due to ongoing investigations, UEFA provisionally suspended Prestianni for the return leg, which Benfica lost 1-2, leading to their elimination. «Not being allowed to play in the second leg hurt me a lot,» Prestianni stated, portraying himself as a victim: «I was punished for something I didn’t even say. I was treated and sanctioned without evidence.»
A final UEFA ruling is still pending, but Prestianni’s statements indirectly acknowledge a potential violation of Article 14, which prohibits offenses against human dignity. The minimum penalty for such a violation is a ten-game suspension.
Nevertheless, Prestianni remains «very relaxed, because everyone who knows me understands what kind of person I am, and that’s enough for me. I am also very grateful to the club because they believed in me and supported me in every way. My teammates showed me their support behind closed doors, and that means much more to me than posting an Instagram story.»