Vinicius Junior racially abused in Lisbon

Benfica Lisbon’s Champions League match against Real Madrid on Tuesday was marred by allegations of racism. Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior claims he was insulted by Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni after opening the scoring.

The incident occurred in the 50th minute when Vinicius celebrated his goal by taunting the home fans.

Prestianni then approached the Brazilian. According to Vinicius, the Benfica player called him a “monkey” multiple times while hiding his mouth behind his shirt.

The match was briefly interrupted as Vinicius’s teammates considered leaving the pitch. “He put his shirt in front of his mouth and five times, I repeat five times, he said ‘mono’,” Kylian Mbappé stated, demanding sanctions. “In my opinion, he no longer deserves to have this chance.”

Aurélien Tchouaméni confirmed the incident: “Vini told us the guy called him a monkey while hiding behind his shirt. We wanted to leave the pitch, but in the end Vini told us we should continue playing.”

Benfica has not yet officially responded to the allegations. UEFA is expected to open an investigation following the incident.