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Benfica's Argentine star Gianluca Prestigioni has issued an official apology to UEFA following the incident during the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho's Portuguese team. In his statement, the footballer admitted to using abusive language towards Real's Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior, but denied that the insult was racist in nature.
According to Prestiani, the expression used was "homophobic" and not racist, as initially reported by the Brazilian player's side. He has apologized for his behavior, while the matter is under review by UEFA's disciplinary bodies.
Despite the player's attempt to distinguish the nature of the offence, Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations provides for strict measures against any form of discrimination. According to this article, any person who violates the human dignity of another on grounds of race, colour, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation shall be punished with a suspension of at least ten matches or other similar sanctions.
This means that, regardless of whether the offense is considered racist or homophobic, the disciplinary framework remains largely the same and Prestian faces a potentially severe punishment.
The incident occurred during the second half of the Champions League match, which was interrupted for about 10 minutes. The tensions began in the 50th minute, shortly after Vinicius Jr. scored the only goal of the match.
After celebrating the goal and a heated confrontation with opposing players, the Brazilian turned to referee François Letexier, accusing Prestian of racist abuse. According to reports from the pitch, Vinicius' claim was also supported by some of his teammates.
UEFA is expected to make a decision in the coming days, while the issue has brought back into focus the debate over discriminatory language in football and disciplinary measures against it.
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