The Portuguese government has revealed that it will be conducting its own investigation into the allegations of racism that have been made against Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni. The 20-year-old Argentine was accused by Vinicius Junior of making racist comments during a Champions League knockout phase play-off fixture that took place at Estadio da Luz.

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Statements from Vinicius Junior and Prestianni

A statement from European football’s governing body read: “The official match reports from last night’s fixtures are currently being reviewed. When incidents are reported, procedures are initiated and, if these result in disciplinary sanctions, they are announced on the UEFA disciplinary website. At this time, we have no further information to provide and no additional comments to make.”

Vinicius issued a statement after the game, in which he said: “Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.”

Prestianni stated in a social media post: “I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at the player Vinicius Junior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thinks he heard. I have never been racist towards anyone. And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”

Portuguese government opens investigation

The Portuguese government, through the Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Violence in Sport (APCVD), will now be looking into the incident – as they seek to determine whether a racist attack took place.

A statement published on the state body’s official website read: “Following reports in the media regarding alleged insults/acts of racism directed at Real Madrid player Vinicius Jr. during the match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF, corresponding to the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off, held at the Estadio da Luz, a competition organised by UEFA, the Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Violence in Sport (APCVD) has initiated administrative sanction proceedings to clarify the facts.”