A previous athlete from Benfica has opposed the club, reprimanding Gianluca Prestianni
Luisao, a previous Benfica skipper, stated his mortification regarding Gianluca Prestianni’s demeanor during yesterday evening’s Champions League encounter with Real Madrid.
Prestianni is alleged to have labeled Vinicius Jr a “monkey” soon after the Brazilian netted the sole goal of the match with a superb shot.
The Argentine, Prestianni, refutes the claim, stating his prosecutors were “fabricating claims”, yet Luisao resolutely supports his compatriot.
The 45-year-old, having completed more than 300 matches for Benfica and earned 44 national team selections for his country, posted online: “This shirt is immense; I adore Benfica, it’s another layer of identity. One must be deserving to don this hallowed garment. This event is exacerbated because it’s a falsehood… football is conquered through effort and struggle… It was indeed a prejudiced action, and I am mortified by it.”
Benfica persist in supporting Prestianni
Benfica seem to uphold Prestianni and issued visual recordings in the pre-dawn hours, which they assert demonstrates no other single Madrid player can profess to have heard what Vinicius Jr has asserted.
Nevertheless, the recording depicts Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe already conversing with Prestianni prior to the Benfica man then obscuring his mouth and seeming to utter a comment towards Vinicius Jr.
Benfica manager Jose Mourinho also declined to condemn Prestianni and even referenced the club’s previous forward Eusebio as a factor prompting skepticism about the assertions.
He stated: “I informed [Vinicius], when you net such a goal, you simply rejoice and retreat. When he was debating about racial prejudice, I informed him that the most significant figure in this club’s history [Eusebio] was black.
“This club is furthest from being racist. If in his mind there was something concerning that matter, this is Benfica.
“They [Vinicius and Prestianni] provided me with contrasting accounts. However, I don’t credit either version. I wish to remain an impartial observer.”