Racism continues to overshadow the world of soccer, and the next couple of weeks may be telling as to how things will be handled moving forward. Ahead of Real Madrid and Benfica meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu on Feb. 25 in the UEFA Champions League playoffs second leg, there’s a matter that needs to be sorted out due to a current UEFA investigation into an incident between Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior and Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni from Tuesday.
An alleged racial incident caused the match to be stopped while the referee reviewed what happened, and it has now been moved to an investigation by UEFA to determine the next steps. Both teams are maintaining that their side of the story is the correct one, and here’s what to know so far:
What happened?
After Vinicius Junior scored the winning goal in Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Benfica in the playoff first leg, the match had to come to a stop due to alleged racial abuse. As he does many times when he scores, Vinicius went to the corner flag to celebrate while dancing, for which he was yellow carded, while objects from the stands also rained down onto the pitch. Benfica weren’t happy with this, and Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni raised his shirt to cover his mouth while speaking to the Brazilian.
While it’s officially unknown what Prestianni said, he was alleged to have called Vinicius a ‘mono’ which is the Spanish word for monkey. Vinicius reported the incident to referee Francois Letexier, who paused the match while sorting out the situation as per UEFA’s three-step procedure for referees to act against incidents where racism is believed to have taken place.
Since it wasn’t clear what was said by Prestianni, the referee could only investigate the matter before deciding on a course of appropriate action, which in this case was resuming the match, but the incident is still subject to further investigation once the match is complete.
UEFA released a statement calling for that investigation, which so far, Real Madrid has complied with:
“A UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 knock-out play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026.
Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course,” the statement read.
What’s Real Madrid saying?
In a statement on Thursday, Real Madrid confirmed that they submitted all the evidence that they have to comply with UEFA’s investigation.
“Real Madrid C. F. announces that today it has submitted all available evidence to UEFA regarding the incidents that occurred last Tuesday, February 17, during the Champions League match our team played in Lisbon against SL Benfica. Our club has actively collaborated with the investigation opened by UEFA following the unacceptable episodes of racism experienced during that match.
Real Madrid appreciates the unanimous support, backing, and affection that our player Vinicius Jr. has received from all areas of the global football community. Real Madrid will continue working, in collaboration with all institutions, to eradicate racism, violence, and hate in sports and society.”
What are Benfica saying?
Benfica are supporting Prestianni’s statement that what Vinicius said he heard was not what was actually said. There has yet to be an update of their compliance with the investigation, but with the two teams meeting next Wednesday to decide the tie, this is on a compressed timeline.
“The Club reaffirms, clearly and unequivocally, its historical and unwavering commitment to defending the values of equality , respect , and inclusion , which align with the core values of its foundation and which have Eusébio as their greatest symbol.
Sport Lisboa e Benfica reiterates that it fully supports and believes in the version presented by the player Gianluca Prestianni , whose conduct while serving the Club has always been guided by respect for opponents, institutions, and the principles that define Benfica’s identity. The Club regrets the defamation campaign to which the player has been subjected.”
