ESPN has learned from sources that Gianluca Prestianni has already provided testimony in UEFA’s inquiry regarding his purported discriminatory insult directed at Vinícius Júnior during Real Madrid’s Champions League elimination match against Benfica this week.
The regulatory organization of European football is currently conducting a probe into the occurrence, which took place during the latter period at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon on Tuesday. This contentious point emerged after Vinícius netted the sole goal of the match.
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The forward for Madrid alleged that Prestianni uttered racial slurs against him while concealing his countenance with his shirt. This prompted a 10-minute halt before the game resumed.
Bruno Andrade of ESPN was informed by sources that the 20-year-old Argentinian attested to having called Vinicius the homophobic insult “m——” in Spanish, instead of “mono,” which is the Spanish term for monkey.
Post-match, Aurélien Tchouaméni, a midfielder for Madrid, stated to Spanish television that Prestianni had offered that clarification when challenged over the incident.
Madrid has dispatched a compilation of “all accessible proof” to UEFA in connection with the inquiry.
Following the match, forward Kylian Mbappé provided a detailed narration to reporters of what he had witnessed and perceived, stating that he distinctly perceived Prestianni hurl racial insults at Vinicius on five separate occasions.
“I heard it,” Mbappé said. “There are Benfica players that also heard it.”
During a press briefing on Friday, Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa urged for Prestianni to be penalized, expressing hope that the case might serve as a “watershed” in the struggle against racial discrimination within football.
Article 14 of UEFA’s code of conduct stipulates that the sanction structure for both racial and homophobic insults remains identical.
“Any entity or person subject to these regulations who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on whatever grounds, including skin colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, incurs a suspension lasting at least ten matches or a specified period of time, or any other appropriate sanction,” the regulations say.