Benfica midfielder accused of racially abusing Vinicius Jr during last week’s Champions League clash, is reportedly claiming the Real Madrid winger referred to him as a dwarf or midget.
Gianluca Prestianni,, who has been given a provisional one-match ban by UEFA, is set to miss the second leg of the play-off tie on Wednesday, one week after the ugly scenes that followed Vinicius’ winner in the 50th minute of the first leg in Lisbon.
Prestianni is alleged to have directed the word ‘mono’, Spanish for ‘monkey’, at Vinicius after the Brazilian’s mocking celebration in front of the Benfica supporters.
But the 20-year-old Argentine star has denied using racist language and instead claims he used the homophobic slur ‘maricon’, Spanish for ‘f****t’, in response to being taunted about his height.
Standing at 5ft 5in, Prestianni is among the shortest players in the Champions League and, according to The Times, his main defence is that he acted in retaliation after Vinicius referred to him as a dwarf.
Insiders have told the newspaper that this defence will not wash as an excuse to use racist or discriminatory language.
Vinicius Jr made the accusation of racist abuse to the referee after Prestianni was seen covering his mouth with his shirt while speaking to the Brazilian.
The match was delayed by 10 minutes after the allegation of racism was made by Vinicius.
Kylian Mbappe claimed he also heard Prestianni use the racist insult five times, insisting after the match that the footballer should never be allowed to compete in the Champions League again.
Both racist and homophobic abuse are breaches of Article 14 of the UEFA’s disciplinary rules, meaning Prestianni could be set for a lengthy ban regardless of whether his defence is believed.
Taunts about a player’s physical appearance, such as height, weight, and baldness, are not covered by the regulations.
Benfica have stood firm in their defence of the player, releasing a statement expressing their ‘regret’ over UEFA’s decision to hand Prestianni a provisional one-match suspension while the governing body conducts a full investigation.
The Portuguese club also expressed their intention to appeal the decision in the hope that it is overturned in time for the second leg in Madrid on Wednesday. Club president Rui Costa also doubled down on Tuesday, calling the decision to ban Prestianni unjustified.
‘Nothing is proven, and the player’s absence from this game is not justified,’ Costa said. ‘Prestianni is being labeled a racist, but he’s anything but racist. I can guarantee that.’
UEFA are believed to have put the ban in place over concerns that a handshake would not take place between Prestianni and the Real Madrid players, in an echo of Luis Suarez’s decision not to shake Patrice Evra’s hand when Liverpool faced Manchester United in 2012.
Should Prestianni be found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius, he could receive a ban of up to 10 matches.