Brazilan star, Vinicius Junior (Vini Jr.), has lived an interesting life. I'm not referring to his sporting life. While he does his talking on the pitch, he's constantly under "threat" of racist chants and actions.
This was only added this past week when Real Madrid clashed with Portuguese side, Benfica, in the Champions League. It has been claimed that Gianluca Prestiani made a racist comment towards the Brazilian. This has caused public outbursts and investigations.
The story of Vini Jr. and Gianluca Prestianni is rightfully making the headlines globally, for what unfolded on the field during Benfica’s game against Real Madrid was nothing short of shameful.
Real Madrid has sent UEFA, football’s governing body in Europe, "all available evidence" of an alleged racist insult against Vini Jr in a Champions League match against Benfica.
"Our club has actively collaborated with the investigation opened by UEFA following the unacceptable episodes of racism experienced during that match," the Spanish club said on Thursday without elaborating on the evidence.
UEFA appointed a special investigator on Wednesday to gather evidence about what happened in Lisbon on Tuesday in Madrid’s 1-0 win at Benfica in the first leg of the knockout round of the Champions League.
Vinicius accused Benfica player, Gianluca Prestianni, of calling him a “monkey” after the Brazilian scored the only goal. Prestianni was among the Benfica players upset with Vinícius after the forward celebrated by the Benfica corner flag.
Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt when he allegedly spoke to the Brazilian player and denied racially abusing Vinicius, who is Black and has been subjected to repeated racist insults in Spain.
"Real Madrid appreciates the unanimous support, backing, and affection that our player Vinicius Jr. has received from all areas of the global football community," the club said. "Real Madrid will continue working, in collaboration with all institutions, to eradicate racism, violence, and hate in sports and society."
Benfica said Prestianni was the victim of a "defamation campaign" and welcomed the investigation opened by UEFA, saying it, "fully supports and believes the version presented" by Prestianni.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, said on Wednesday he was "shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism" and praised the referee for activating the anti-racism protocol during the match; which was halted for nearly 10 minutes at the Stadium of Light.
Fellow Los Blancos team-mate, Kylian Mbappe, immediately backed up Vinicius, alleging that he heard Prestianni call the Brazilian a 'monkey' on multiple occasions. Initially, following UEFA protocol, they even walked off the pitch as the game was paused; before play eventually restarted after a 10-minute delay.
Former French striker, Thierry Henry, was among those praised for his take on the situation, while Benfica boss Jose Mourinho drew criticism for his comments on the matter. Now, Jose Luis Chilavert, a retired Paraguayan goalkeeper, who played in Spain for Real Zaragoza, has given his thoughts on the matter.
Chilavert is best-known for being a goal scoring goalkeeper, with 67 strikes across his career; only Rogerio Ceni has netted more (131 goals) while playing between the sticks. The Paraguayan, however, has made a name for himself in retirement for some rather unsavoury takes.
Having already criticised Vinicius Jr in the past, calling him a homophobic slur in 2024 and saying "football is for men" after the player broke down in tears over racial abuse, Chilavert has once again targetted the Brazilian.
As per Marca, the 60-year-old former footballer defended the Argentine Prestianni in controversial statements he made on Radio Rivadavia. He said:
"I sympathise with Prestianni because Vinicius is the first to insult everyone. If you look at the camera, before he says 'cagon' [coward]. The first insult came from the black-skinned player."
The player could get a 10-game ban if found guilty. According to Chilavert, though, a UEFA sanction Prestianni "would lead to the gay, lesbian and company community being the example to follow. "And no, football is a rectangle where men play and where we used to say everything to each other. Since they put the microphone and the video is gay."
He added: "The problem is very deep: the world we live in today has little memory. There was a match between Brazil and Spain in which a Netflix camera was filming Vinicius and he said crying that he would like a football in which black people can live better. He himself was discriminating. Does he want white people to live badly?" asked the Paraguayan, who then claimed that all racist incidents in football "are born in Europe."
While most clearly believe Vinicius’ word when he says that Prestianni called him a ‘mo*key’, others have appallingly come out in the Benfica star’s favour and claimed that Vinicius is lying.
What is clear, however, is that Real Madrid will allow the event to pass quietly and are working hard to ensure the guilty are punished. Benfica, for their part, refuse to die down and have come out with a counter-suit against Federico Valverde.
The latest to join the protest against the injustice suffered by Vinicius Jr. is the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), as they have come out with a statement calling for strict punishment.
As relayed by AS, the statement from the confederation heavily condemns the incidents during the game between Real Madrid and Benfica and has asked for strict punishment for everyone found guilty.
"[A] rigour to punish those who participated in the new case of racism committed against Vinicius Jr," the statement read, clarifying the CBF’s demands.
In addition, the president of CBF, Samir Xaud, dedicated a section to convey his gratitude to the president of FIFA Gianni Infantino for coming out openly and condemning the incident.
Interestingly, the CBF does not ask for direct action on Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni and asks for the matter to be investigated as per the protocol. For the fans who were clearly caught making racist gestures, however, they call for an ‘exemplary sanction.’
"The CBF also sent a formal request to UEFA for a thorough investigation into the acts committed against Vinicius Jr., which takes into account the testimony of the victim and the people present."
The letter, addressed to FIFA and UEFA, is signed by the president Xaud and it remains to be seen how far it succeeds in pushing the responsible bodies towards taking the necessary action.
Vini Jr. said "racists are cowards" after he was allegedly abused during Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off first leg against Benfica, which was held up for 11 minutes over reported racist remarks.
In a statement on Instagram, Benfica winger Prestianni said he hadn't directed racist insults at Vinicius, who he said had “regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard”.
After the game, which resumed and saw Real win 1-0, Vinicius took to Instagram and said: "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."
UEFA said they are reviewing the incident. "The official reports from the matches played last night are currently being reviewed," the footballing body said in a statement.
"Where matters are reported, proceedings are opened and should they lead to disciplinary sanctions being imposed," they announced on the UEFA disciplinary website.
The match was a heated contest following the dramatic encounter between the sides during the league phase of the tournament before Vinicius sent the visitors into the lead with a stunning strike in the second half.
The Brazilian forward then celebrated in front of the Benfica fans near the corner flag and was shown a yellow card. As the match was due to restart, he spoke with Prestianni who covered his mouth with his shirt while talking to Vinicius.
Vinicius then ran over to referee, Francois Letexier, incensed by the clash with Prestianni and gestured towards the 20-year-old Argentine. The official then crossed his arms to activate UEFA’s racism protocol.
Vinicius’ anger continued and he walked off the pitch heading to the Real Madrid dugout where he sat down and was followed by his Real Madrid teammates.
Benfica’s manager, Mourinho, attempted to calm matters by talking to Real’s players including Mbappe and Vinicius himself.
Kylian Mbappe called on UEFA to take strong disciplinary action and claimed he heard Prestianni racially insult Vinicius. "He put his shirt down here and said ‘monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey’. I heard him say it, and some Benfica players heard him too, and then everything you saw started," Mbappe said.
Mourinho himself was then shown a red card for protesting against a decision made by the referee to award his team a free kick outside the box and not a penalty.
After 12 minutes of stoppage time, Madrid closed out the match with a 1-0 lead to take into the second leg at the Bernabeu.
Speaking as part of the commentary on Amazon Prime, Alan Shearer said: “It has been an ugly second half. What we should be talking about is a special goal. I suspect the headline will be very, very different.”
Mourinho, a former Real Madrid manager, was asked if Vinicius had “incited” the Benfica players and the crowd with his celebration and he responded: “Yeah, I believe so. The words they exchange, Prestianni with Vinicius, I want to be independent. I don’t comment about it.”
The Portuguese manager then revealed his own talks with Vinicius and explained what he had told the winger during the pause in play.
"I told him that when you score a goal like that you just celebrate and walk back," Mourinho added. "And then when he was arguing about racism I told him the biggest person in the history of this club was Black. This club, the last thing it is is racist, so if in his mind it was something in relation to that, this is Benfica."
"There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium that Vinicius plays [in] something happens. Always. I’m saying that it was a good 50 minutes of football, millions of people watching around the world, a crazy goal absolutely crazy goal and then game over."
Amazon Prime pundits, Wayne Rooney, Clarence Seedorf and Theo Walcott seemed stunned by Mourinho’s comments with Rooney labelling them "unfair" and Seedorf saying Mourinho made a "big mistake."
"As he said he’s trying to stay independent but I think it was very unfair what he said about Vinicius," Rooney said when pressed for comment by presenter, Gabby Logan.
Seedorf further explained by adding: "I think he [Jose Mourinho] is still emotional. I think he made a big mistake today to justify racial abuse and I’m not saying that was the case today but he mentioned something more than today. He said wherever he goes these things happen, so he’s saying it’s okay when Vinicius provokes you, that is it okay to be racist and I think that is very wrong."
"We should never, ever justify racial abuse. And Vinicius has had enough of that unjustified behaviour from people. And I know Mourinho by heart would agree with me but he expressed himself a bit unfortunately I believe. Because we should not be telling the people at home that someone makes a dance or something then it’s okay to be racist."
Theo Walcott plainly finished: "That's the one time we shouldn’t have heard from him [Mourinho], tonight he should not have been in front of the cameras."
On the match being paused, UEFA have a three-step racism protocol in place giving referees the power to halt matches and referee Letexier initiated step one.
The three step protocol is:
- Firstly, stop the game. They will then request an announcement to be made over the public address system asking spectators to immediately stop any racist behaviour.
- Then, if it continues, stop the game for five to 10 minutes and take the players off the pitch while making another announcement.
- If it resumes after the second restart, the referee can abandon the game.
A match will only be abandoned once the security of the players and public has been assessed. The case is then referred to UEFAs disciplinary authorities. The incident between Vinicius and Prestianni will be investigated.
Spanish news outlet, El Chiringuito, claim that Vinicius has been left angered by Mourinho’s comments. He can't understand how his goal celebrations could be considered "provocative" and finds the narrow-mindedness of a vastly-experienced coach to be "repulsive."
UEFA have opened an investigation into what went on, alongside the Portuguese government, with a verdict expected to be delivered shortly - which could lead to sanctions being handed out.
Mourinho will already be serving a touchline ban when Benfica head to Santiago Bernabeu for their return date with Real next Wednesday. He is likely to be quizzed on the Prestianni incident again before and after that encounter.
Bayern Munich coach, Vincent Kompany, said Benfica boss, José Mourinho, made a "huge mistake" in attacking the character of Viní Jr. after the Real Madrid star accused an opponent of racially insulting him during a Champions League match.
Mourinho suggested that Vinícius, a Brazilian forward, had incited Benfica's players with his celebrations after scoring the only goal in Tuesday's play-off match.
Mourinho questioned why Vinícius, who is Black and has been subjected to repeated racist insults in Spain, was so frequently targeted. "There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium," Mourinho said. "The stadium where Vinícius played, something happened. Always."
Speaking on Friday, Kompany condemned Mourinho's comments.
"For me, even worse, is what happens after the game," said Kompany, who recalled his own experiences of racism as a young player, which included Real Betis fans directing racist chants at him and former Anderlecht team-mate, Cheick Tiote.
"After the game, you have the leader of an organisation, José Mourinho, who basically attacks the character of Vinícius Jr., by bringing in the type of celebration to discredit what Vinícius is doing in this moment."
Vincent Kompany came down hard on José Mourinho in the aftermath of Benfica's clash against Real Madrid. Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Image
"For me, in terms of leadership, it is a huge mistake," Kompany said. "It is something we should not accept. I am very clear on that.
"The one thing you can't do is dismiss a person and attack the character of a person who's complaining about something he experienced and something that must be very painful to that person. There is something that needs to happen."
Kompany added: "I know 100 people who have worked with José Mourinho. I have never heard a person say anything bad about Jose."
"I understand he is fighting for his team and his club. You cannot be a bad person and have all the ex-players you have had talk so positively about you. I don't need to judge him as a person," he said, "but I know what I have heard, and I understand maybe what he has done, but he has made a mistake."
Real Madrid boss, Alvaro Arbeloa, told a news conference Friday that Vinícius remains "outraged" by the incident. "Vini Jr. has been upset, as have we all. Above all, he has been very outraged by what happened. It's a racist act that has no place in sports or our society," he said.
"We have a tremendous opportunity not to let it pass and to continue fighting against this scourge that is racism. What's really important is to combat acts like the one we witnessed the other day."
"It's an intolerable situation that we don't want to see happen again. We will stand against it, especially when it involves a fellow professional. It's an act that must not and should not happen. Nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies a racist act."
Vinicius’ stunning strike at Estadio da Luz was the only goal of the game during a keenly-contested first leg, meaning that Real hold a narrow lead as they attempt to secure safe progress into the last-16 of elite European competition.
On the other side, Benfica expressed their support for Prestianni afterwards, with the Argentine winger saying in a post-match statement: "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."
Gianluca Prestianni has already given evidence in UEFA's investigation into his alleged racist abuse of Vinícius Júnior during Real Madrid 's Champions League playoff game at Benfica this week, sources said.
European football's governing body is holding an inquiry into the incident during the second half at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday, in a flashpoint after Vinícius scored the game's only goal.
The Madrid forward accused Prestianni of racially abusing him while covering his face with his shirt, leading to a 10-minute stoppage before play continued.
Sources said that the Argentinian has given evidence stating that he called Vinicius the anti-gay slur "m------" in Spanish, rather than "mono," which is Spanish for monkey.
Immediately after the game, Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni told Spanish television that Prestianni had given that explanation when confronted about the incident.
Madrid have sent a dossier of "all available evidence" to UEFA as part of the probe.
Forward Kylian Mbappé gave an extensive account of what he had seen and heard to the media after the game, saying that he personally had heard Prestianni racially abuse Vinicius five times.
"I heard it," Mbappé said. "There are Benfica players that also heard it."
Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa called for Prestianni to face punishment in a news conference Friday, saying he hoped the case could be a "turning point" in the fight against racist abuse in soccer.
Article 14 of UEFA's disciplinary regulations states that the punishment framework for both racist and anti-gay abuse is the same.
"Any entity or person subject to these regulations who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on whatever grounds, including skin colour, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, incurs a suspension lasting at least ten matches or a specified period of time, or any other appropriate sanction," the regulations say.
A sports lawyer has suggested that Gianluca Prestianni could take legal action against Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe following accusations that he used a racist slur towards the Brazilian.
Prestianni posted a statement of his own to the platform in which he denied the allegations.
The Argentine wrote: "I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at the player Vinicius Junior, who unfortunately misinterpreted what he thought he heard. I have never been racist towards anyone, and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."
It remains unclear exactly what was allegedly said while a UEFA investigation continues.
After Tuesday’s match, SPORTbible spoke exclusively to Fraser MacKinven, who is a partner at UK law firm Burness Paull, where he heads the sports and entertainment practice.
When asked whether Prestianni could pursue legal action, the UK-based lawyer explained that "there may be some interesting questions around which country’s laws should apply, given the international nature of this incident and the parties involved."
He added: "That said, based on some common principles of defamation laws across different jurisdictions, Prestianni could potentially have a defamation claim if he is ultimately exonerated by UEFA."
So what are the key components of a defamation claim?
MacKinven outlined how statements need to be public and clearly identify the claimant, which in this case would be Prestianni, should he decide to pursue a claim.
"This should be relatively straightforward to establish, given the statements were recorded and broadcast on TV and social media," he said.
Statements must harm one’s reputation and could, but don’t have to, amount to financial loss.
When asked if Mbappe could also be open to legal action after suggesting that he heard Prestianni call Vinicius a "monkey five times," MacKinven replied: "If a player such as Mbappe claimed to have heard the racial slur when he didn’t, then that would likely be defamatory. It is worth noting that Mbappe probably wouldn’t be able to rely on being mistaken (i.e. thinking he had heard the slur) as a defence."
The lawyer added: "The statements need to be false. It’s important to note that the onus here would likely be on the defendant to prove that their statements were true."
“In other words, they would have to prove that Prestianni did use a racial slur. If they were able to prove this, then it would be unlikely that Prestianni’s claim would succeed.”
MacKinven finished by explaining how, if successful in a defamation claim, Prestianni would likely be “entitled to financial compensation and a public apology”.
*Please note that MacKinven’s comments do not constitute legal advice. There are no suggestions that Prestianni will take legal action at this time.
Former Real Madrid goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, has addressed the situation in an interview with AS.
Navas described the situation as deeply upsetting and called for stronger action to prevent similar incidents in football.
"It’s very sad because something like this should never happen to anyone in the world. When it happens to someone you know, like Vini, you feel identified with the pain he may be experiencing. I hope everyone who can do something will try so that this kind of contempt has no place — not with Vini, not with anyone,” he said.
He also emphasized the need for firm punishment, stating that intentional acts should carry consequences.
FIFA have been tipped to bring in a new law off the back of Gianluca Prestianni being accused of making a racist comment to Vinicius Jr.
Benfica has dismissed claims in a bizarre social media post where they said "the Real Madrid players could not have heard what they claim to have heard".
The Lisbon giants then issued a statement where they said Prestianni had been subjected to a "defamation campaign." The player, who disabled comments on his Instagram, has denied using any racist insults.
In line with with Article 14 of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations (racism and discriminatory conduct), Prestianni could be facing a 10-game ban if found guilty.
That sanction was handed out to Slavia Prague defender, Ondrej Kudela, after he was found guilty of racially abusing Glen Kamara during a Europa League game against Scottish opposition, Rangers.
Football should have been revelling in a masterpiece - Vinicius scoring a goal so outrageous it deserved to dominate every headline.
Instead, once again, the sport was dragged into the same rancid swamp it never seems able to climb out of: alleged racism, denials, excuses and a staggering lack of understanding from those who should know better.
Vinicius has been here before many, many times. In fact, he has now faced 20 incidents of alleged abuse.
The latest accusation is that Benfica's Argentine midfielder Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him minutes after that wonder goal.
Prestianni denies the allegation. Vinicius has been backed strongly by a number of his team-mates, in particular Kylian Mbappe who told the media he heard a racist term used five times
After the game, Benfica boss Jose Mourinho effectively blamed the player himself for provoking the situation.
"These talents are able to do these beautiful things, but unfortunately was not just happy to score that astonishing goal," he told Amazon Prime Video Sport. "When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way."
He then went on to claim that Benfica couldn't possibly be a racist football club for the simple reason that its greatest-ever player, Eusebio, was black.
Mourinho's comments mark a new low, but are nonetheless indicative of the media debate - particularly in Spain and today clearly in Portugal - that remains stuck in the same place.
"Yes, they insult him, but he should behave better," seems to be the constant refrain.
As if you could separate one thing from the other. As if they weren't part of the same process. When Vinicius confronts the stands his attitude is interpreted as arrogant and inappropriate.
That reaction is said to stem from the same source as his protests against racism: a constant struggle against a hostile environment.
Frantz Fanon said in his influential 1952 book, Black Skin, White Masks: "The Black man has to fight twice as hard to be accepted as a man." Perhaps, for Vinicius, this burden translates into anger, tension and gestures that, from the outside, seem excessive.
Seen from within, they could be viewed as pure survival. When the Spanish press demands that Vinicius limit himself to "playing and keeping quiet," it points to what the American sociologist Eduardo Bonilla-Silva called "racism without racists" - cultural frameworks that don't directly insult, but blame the affected person for their reaction.
Vinicius has become a global symbol of resistance against discrimination as he strives to get the authorities to toughen their protocols and actions.
The hostility towards Vinicius is real - and it has names, dates and court sentences.
The latest incident at the Estadio da Luz marks the 20th time he has allegedly been abused in his time with Real Madrid. He has been insulted in stadiums across Spain. He has testified in court after a black mannequin wearing his shirt was hung from a bridge.
He has seen fans being sanctioned with suspended sentences for racist abuse in Valencia and Mallorca. This was largely thanks to La Liga's efforts to ensure those actions don't remain unpunished within a judicial culture that long treated football's "industrial" language and "banter" with indulgence.
A chronology of some of the incidents suffered by him makes for depressing reading. Back in October 2021 during a El Clasico at the Camp Nou, a fan shouted racist abuse at him as he was being substituted. The case was closed because the police were unable to identify the perpetrator.
Then, in March 2022, Mallorca fans made monkey noises towards him and told him that he should "go pick bananas".
The authorities were "outraged" and said it was "despicable" but not "criminally significant." No action was taken. On the Spanish football programme, El Chiringuito, Pedro Bravo, the head of the Spanish Football Agents' Association, suggested Vinicius should "stop acting like a monkey" and respect his opponents.
He later apologised on X, claiming he had "badly used the expression...in a metaphorical way to mean 'fooling around'." The comment caused outrage, especially in Brazil. No further action was taken.
In September 2022, Atletico Madrid fans chanted racist abuse outside the stadium. Prosecutors did not file charges. Then things got even worse.
A doll wearing Vinicius' jersey was found hanging from a bridge in January 2023. Four members of the supporters' group Frente Atletico were sentenced to prison terms of between 14 and 22 months, which were later commuted to fines and restraining orders.
Further incidents followed over the next few months, all of which led to little or no repercussions for the perpetrators. If there was a turning point it occurred in Valencia at the Mestalla in May 2023, when Vinicius confronted the stands after being insulted.
Later, in extra time, he was sent off after an argument with Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and for punching Hugo Duro in the face.
In June 2024, three fans were sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of stadium bans for their part in the abuse. It was the first sentence of its kind in Spain.
When he returned to Mestalla in March 2024 he was met by a chorus of boos. His response? Two goals, celebrated with a raised fist.
Sometimes he doesn't even have to be at the match to suffer the racial taunts.
Eleven days after the Mestalla return, racist abuse towards him was chanted before a Champions League match between Atletico Madrid and Inter. Real Madrid reported the incident to the hate crimes prosecutor's office. Then five days later, at Osasuna's ground shouts of "Vinicius die" were heard.
On 29 September 2024, four people were arrested for inciting a hate campaign on social media under anonymity to insult the player during the derby against Atletico Madrid.
Most recently, this February, during the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad, referee, Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez, paused the match through Spain's anti-hate protocol.
This was due to chants against another player, but the cameras also captured a fan making monkey gestures towards Vinicius during the stoppage. The club broadcast announcements over the PA system and LED screens rejecting xenophobic chants.
Only last month, during Alvaro Arbeloa's debut as Real manager against Albacete in the Copa del Rey, a group of their fans hurled racist insults at the Brazilian.
La Liga strongly condemned the incident, reaffirming its support for the player.
Perhaps you might wonder why Vinicius continues to react and fight? He gave an answer in June 2024 after the racists who abused him in Valencia were sentenced to jail term.
"Many people asked me to ignore it, others said that my fight was in vain and that I should just 'play football'," Vinicius said in a post on X. But, as I've always said, I'm not a victim of racism. I am an executioner of racists. This first criminal conviction in Spanish history is not for me. It's for all black people."
I don't understand why people do these things. It's disgusting. People involved will get caught. As history shows, these statements and actions don't affect Vini Jr.'s performances. They're therefore pointless.
I believe the possible punishment is adequate. 10 matches can be a long time when it comes to continental competitions. It gives the player the time to think about what they did.
Racist and homophobic remarks have no room in sport.