UEFA has handed Benfica attacker Gianluca Prestianni a provisional suspension that will keep him out of Wednesday’s high-stakes Champions League second-leg clash with Real Madrid after an incident involving Vinicius Junior in last week’s first-leg fixture.
The governing body took the step following the appointment of an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to examine claims of discriminatory conduct during the February 17, 2026 UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Playoff meeting between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF.
In its official statement, UEFA explained: “Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Playoff match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour.
“This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies. Further information about this matter will be made available in due course.”
The interim ban means the Argentine winger will miss the return leg against Real Madrid while the full investigation runs its course.
UEFA has so far declined to release any specifics about the exact nature of the alleged incident but confirmed that more details will be published once the disciplinary process reaches its conclusion.
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