Updated 18 February 2026 at 16:56 IST
UEFA Issue Official Statement On Vinicius Jr.'s Racism Claims Against Benfica Player During Real Madrid's Champions League Clash
After the alleged racial incident, Real Madrid defended their 1-0 lead, while the players were subjected to jeers and missiles from the home crowd.
Real Madrid's clash against Benfica was marred with controversy after Vinicius Jr. scored the only goal of the evening in the 50th minute and was shown a yellow card for celebrating. After the booking, as the two teams were preparing for a kickoff, Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni was seen pulling his shirt and covering his mouth to say something to the Madrid player.
Vinicius Jr. ran up to the referee and alleged that the Benfica player used a racial slur against him, following which the referee activated anti-racism protocol, and a 10-minute stoppage ensued. Following the incident, Real Madrid players and the manager have criticised Gianluca Prestianni for his alleged comments in the match. Meanwhile, Benfica have defended their player saying that it wouldn't have possible for Vinicius to have properly heard Prestianni as they were seemingly standing at a distance.
On February 18, 2026, UEFA released a response to the incident, stating that they would look into the matter and would proceed accordingly once the verdict is reached.
UEFA Release Statement On Vinicius Jr.'s Incident in Real Madrid vs Benfica
After Vinicius Jr. reported the alleged racial incident, according to UEFA's protocols, the match was stopped for 10 minutes with the Real Madrid player leaving the field. The remainder of the match, Madrid defended their 1-0 lead, while the players were subjected to jeers from the home crowd.
After the incident gained widespread attention from football pundits and fans across the world, UEFA stepped in and released a statement.
In their statement, UEFA shared, "The official reports from the matches played last night are currently being reviewed. Where matters are reported, proceedings are opened, and should they lead to disciplinary sanctions being imposed, they are announced on the UEFA disciplinary website. We have no further information to provide you or any further comment to make on this matter at this stage."
Gianluca Prestianni Refutes Racism Allegations By Vinicius Jr.
After the match, Vinicius Jr. took to his social media to say that racists are the biggest cowards of all, seemingly taking a shot at Gianluca Prestianni. The Benfica player refuted the claims, saying, "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to player Vinicius Junior, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone, and I regret the threats that I received from Real Madrid players."
The match witnessed Madrid's coaching staff receiving a red card during the confrontation, whereas Jose Mourinho was sent back in the final moments of the game after a heated exchange with the match referee.
Published By : Tiasha Sarkar
Published On: 18 February 2026 at 16:56 IST