7M - Portuguese government launches own investigation after Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni accused of racial abuse by Real Madrid star Vinícius Júnior

The incident occurred approximately 10 minutes into the second half of the February 17 contest in Lisbon. Play was temporarily halted as players clashed, with match officials following UEFA's established protocols.

Vinícius Júnior had just scored a stunning goal for the La Liga giants and celebrated near the corner flag in front of the home supporters. Several Benfica players took exception to the Brazil international's what they perceived as provocative behavior.

As the game prepared to restart, Vinícius—positioned opposite Prestianni—hurried toward the referee to report something that had allegedly been said. The Benfica winger is accused of making racist remarks, with UEFA confirming they have opened an investigation into the matter. Prestianni was observed pulling his shirt up over his mouth during the exchange.

A statement from European football's governing body read: "The official match reports from last night's fixtures are currently being reviewed. When incidents are reported, procedures are initiated and, if these result in disciplinary sanctions, they are announced on the UEFA disciplinary website. At this time, we have no further information to provide and no additional comments to make."

Vinícius issued a statement after the game, saying: "Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team's life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don't like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it's necessary."

Prestianni stated in a social media post: "I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at the player Vinícius Júnior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thinks he heard. I have never been racist towards anyone. And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."

The Portuguese government, through the Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Violence in Sport (APCVD), will now examine the incident as they seek to determine whether a racist attack took place.

A statement published on the state body's official website read: "Following reports in the media regarding alleged insults/acts of racism directed at Real Madrid player Vinícius Jr. during the match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF, corresponding to the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off, held at the Estádio da Luz, a competition organised by UEFA, the Authority for the Prevention and Fight against Violence in Sport (APCVD) has initiated administrative sanction proceedings to clarify the facts."

Both the Portuguese club and their winger could be subject to disciplinary measures—ranging from financial penalties to the case being referred to judicial authorities—if the allegations of racism are confirmed. Investigations being conducted by both sporting bodies and government agencies are expected to be concluded promptly, enabling decisive action to be taken.