Gianluca Prestianni apologises for Vinícius incident ahead of Real Madrid vs Benfica
Argentine winger’s representative claims UEFA submissions are “false” whilst player seeks to move forward following the first leg between the two teams
Argentine winger’s representative claims UEFA submissions are “false” whilst player seeks to move forward following the first leg between the two teams
Gianluca Prestianni has reportedly apologised to his Benfica teammates for the controversy surrounding alleged racist insults directed at Vinícius Júnior during the Champions League match against Real Madrid.
The incident occurred during the 50th minute of Benfica‘s 0-1 defeat at Estadio da Luz, when Prestianni confronted Vinícius following the Brazilian’s goal celebration.
Referee François Letexier immediately stopped the match for several minutes after Vinícius complained of racist abuse, activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocol and creating an extended interruption that Benfica coach Jose Mourinho later suggested affected the remainder of the match.
According to A BOLA, the Argentine winger addressed the dressing room to reinforce his commitment to the team whilst UEFA’s investigation into the February 17 incident continues.
Jose Mourinho skipped Benfica’s pre-match press conference, citing emotional burnout from the Vinicius Jr incident in midweek. https://t.co/U89T0x1wsC #ViniJr #RealMadrid #Benfica pic.twitter.com/AJg2lyMKSt
— BBSportNews (@thebbsportnews) February 21, 2026
Agent insists neither player nor representatives received formal notice
The apology came as Prestianni’s agent, Gastón Fernández, categorically denied the racism accusations in an interview with Win-Win, pushing back against what he described as false characterisations submitted to UEFA by Real Madrid.
“Everything that has been published about what Gianluca Prestianni actually said in the UEFA investigations is false,” Fernandez stated. “No one has officially contacted us to inform us about possible sanctions related to this matter.”
Fernandez emphasised that despite widespread reporting about the allegations, neither he nor his client has received official notification from UEFA about sanctions or formal charges related to the incident.
“We no longer wish to continue with this matter. We have already made it clear that what happened was not as they tried to present or portray it in relation to Gianluca,” Fernandez said.
“From now on, the only thing that matters to us is providing the player with peace of mind. When everything is over, we will carefully consider the best course of action.”
That final statement suggests Prestianni’s camp may pursue legal remedies once UEFA‘s investigation concludes, potentially including defamation claims if they believe false accusations damaged his reputation.
Vinicius posted on Instagram after the match condemning what he described as “poorly executed protocol” that “served no purpose” despite activating FIFA‘s anti-racism procedures.
“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are,” he said in a statement.
“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.”
