LISBON.- The first leg of the play-off of the Champions League between the Benfica and the real Madridplayed this Tuesday in Lisbon, was briefly interrupted after the Brazilian Vinicius reported having been a victim of racist insults by the Argentine Gianluca Prestianni.
“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirt in their mouth to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish them,” Vinicius said in a statement at the end of the meeting.
After opening the scoring with a magnificent right-footed shot (50′), the Real Madrid striker celebrated with a dance in front of the public at the Estadio de la Luz, which sparked an argument with several Benfica players and earned him a warning from the French referee. François Letexier.
When the match seemed about to resume, the Brazilian ran towards the referee pointing his finger at Prestianni, who covered his mouth with his shirt, as seen on television, to allegedly call him a “monkey.”
“Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in the life of my team,” added the player. “I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a great victory and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it is necessary,” he concluded.
Letexier then stopped the match for a few minutes and activated the anti-racism protocol, but ordered the players to resume the game without another sanction.
Words from Captain Merengue
“I don’t know what he said. According to all the teammates who were nearby, they heard something very ugly. Many people have been fighting over this. Vinicius, one of them. It’s unfortunate that so many cameras can’t record that. If you cover your mouth to say something… Proud of Vinicius and his great game,” declared the Uruguayan Federico Valverde to Movistar+.
“The insult is something very serious. It has happened many times already. As teammates we have to help him and support him. I doubt there isn’t a camera that has seen it,” added the midfielder, who also shared an image on his Instagram stories in support of the Brazilian.
