Benfica remain steadfast in their support for their player Gianluca Prestianni after the star was given a provisional one-match ban by Uefa for alleged racist abuse he aimed at Vinicius Jnr last week.
The sanction is set to impact the second leg of the play-off tie on Wednesday, one week after Prestianni is believed to have tangled with the Brazil international shortly after he scored the winner in the 50th minute.
But in advance of the tie, Portuguese club flew to Madrid on Tuesday morning with Prestianni in tow, with the 20-year-old receiving a standing ovation from fans at Lisbon airport, as per A Bola.
Prestianni has denied that he said the racial slur to Vinicius, giving evidence to Uefa as they continue their investigation into the claims, instead claiming that he had covered his shirt with his mouth to use a homophobic insult instead.
Upon receiving the provisional ban, Benfica shared a statement saying that they ‘regretted’ the decision and intended to appeal it in the hope of a late ruling allowing them to call upon the Argentine player.
Club president Rui Costa doubled down on this intent on Tuesday, calling the decision to ban Prestianni unjustified.
Benfica continue to steadfastly back their player Gianluca Prestianni amid his accusations of racism against Vinicius Jnr
The 20-year-old travelled to Madrid with the squad despite his ban (centre) and was greeted warmly by crowds
‘Nothing is proven and the player’s absence from this game is not justified,’ Costa said. ‘Prestianni is being labeled a racist, but he’s anything but racist. I can guarantee that.’
Uefa is believed to have put the ban in place over concerns that a handshake would not take place between Prestianni and the Real Madrid players, in an echo of Luis Suarez’s decision not to shake Patrice Evra’s hand when Liverpool faced Manchester United in 2012.
Should Prestianni be found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jnr, he could receive a ban of up to 10 matches.
Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe was among those to back up his team-mate, with Vinicius reporting the incident to referee Francois Letexier in the immediate aftermath.
Prestianni then claimed that the France captain had ‘misinterpreted what he thinks he heard’.
After the final whistle, Trent Alexander-Arnold added his voice to those supporting Vinicius as he called out Prestianni’s ‘digusting’ behaviour.
But Benfica manager Jose Mourinho was roundly criticised for seemingly blaming Vinicius for provoking the home fans and Prestianni with his exuberant goal celebration.
Claiming that he did not think that Benfica could be a racist club due to their most famous player, Eusebio, having been black himself, Mourinho went on to add that he thought he had ‘incited’ the stadium.
‘There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium,’ Mourinho added. ‘Every stadium that Vinicius plays (in) something happens. Always.’
Manager Jose Mourinho found himself roundly criticised for his comments after the incident
Daily Mail Sport revealed last week that Mourinho had banned all mention of Real Madrid among his Benfica squad following the allegations of racism, as they focused on their league match on the weekend.
Mourinho, however, did offer comments to Benfica’s in-house media ahead of the weekend.
‘The game was truly demanding, in every aspect,’ Mourinho said. ‘Until the 50th minute, it was a game of maximum intensity, both physically and tactically, requiring the concentration needed to play a game of that level.
‘But I also have to acknowledge that from the 50th minute until now – and this won’t end our conversation – it hasn’t been easy to manage emotionally everything that has happened and continues to happen.’
When questioned about the backlash he has received at a post-match press conference after their 3-0 win over AVS, Mourinho said ‘I don’t want to comment. I repeat that it has been difficult for everyone, I won’t specify the level of difficulty.
‘Today we were all able to be professional and do our job.’
Mourinho will not conduct a press conference ahead of Benfica’s second leg against Real Madrid due to being suspended after being shown a red card last week.
