THE SLUR SCANDAL: WHY GIANLUCA PRESTIANNI IS ADMITTING TO HOMOPHOBIA TO ESCAPE RACISM CHARGES
Football news: Prestianni suspended. Get the report on the UEFA Article 14 breach and Courtois’ reaction to stadium hate.
Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni says he used homophobic language against Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior because the Brazilian called him a "dwarf". This all happened during last week’s Champions League knockout round play-off, a match already clouded by allegations of racist abuse. Prestianni’s defence, though, doesn’t look like it’ll hold up.
UEFA didn’t waste time. They handed Prestianni a provisional suspension after accusations that he racially abused Vinicius. Cameras caught Prestianni talking with his shirt over his mouth right before Vinicius went to referee François Letexier, who kicked off the anti-racism protocol.
Prestianni insists he’s innocent. He claims Vinicius just misunderstood what he said during their heated exchange.
The whole thing blew up right after Vinicius scored the match’s only goal at Estadio da Luz. Jose Mourinho jumped into the fray, blaming Vinicius for provoking the home fans with his celebration. Mourinho also argued that Benfica couldn’t possibly be a racist club because their legendary player Eusebio was black.
Not surprisingly, Mourinho’s comments and Benfica’s public support for Prestianni sparked heavy criticism across the football world. Meanwhile, Real Madrid players have rallied behind Vinicius and spoken out loudly against racism.
Now, Prestianni says Vinicius insulted him over his height, and that he fired back with "maricon", a homophobic slur, instead of “mono” (Spanish for “monkey”), which is what Vinicius and teammate Kylian Mbappe claim they heard. Mbappe also says he heard the abusive language.
UEFA rules are clear: both racist and homophobic slurs break Article 14 and lead to long bans. Taunting someone about their size or height, though, doesn’t fall under those rules.
Benfica’s leadership is doubling down, sticking with Prestianni. President Rui Costa slammed the decision to ban the 20-year-old for the next match, saying, "I wasn’t on the field, so I can’t say exactly what was said. In moments like that, anything can happen. We trust our player; he’s being branded a racist, but that’s not who he is. We’ve always stood by him and kept him in the loop, and I’m only speaking up now because there’s been a decision, even if it’s not the final word, and, in our view, it’s unfair. There’s only a suspension, not a sentence, so I didn’t see the point in speaking earlier.”
But Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois isn’t buying any of it. He shot down Prestianni’s defence, saying, “It’s just as serious; homophobic insults are unacceptable. I saw the images from the Benfica stands, and it’s honestly shameful to see that in a stadium. You can like or dislike a player, but those gestures are disgraceful. I haven’t heard anything about punishing their fans for making monkey gestures either. There are a lot of things that have gone wrong here. Racism and homophobia – none of it should be tolerated. The insult is equally serious, no matter what form it takes.”
ARSENAL POCKET INSANE £125.18M FOLLOWING CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL QUALIFICATION
Mikel Arteta's side has added £15.97m to their cash reserves, eclipsing the total earned by current champions PSG last year.
Arsenal have added another £15.97 million to their UEFA prize money haul after securing a spot in the Champions League final with a win against Atletico Madrid. They are set to face either Bayern Munich or the current champions, Paris Saint-Germain, in Budapest on May 30, aiming for their first-ever triumph in this prestigious competition.
Beyond that, there’s an additional £5.61 million up for grabs in Hungary later this month. But up to now, Arsenal have amassed an eye-watering £125.18 million in Champions League prize money this season alone. A place in next season’s European Super Cup also carries a potential reward of around £3.45 million. It’s been a remarkable European run under Mikel Arteta, with the team dominating the group stage by winning all eight matches.
From the very beginning, the club benefited from the initial distribution of TV revenue and the rankings pool, which together amounted to £49.6 million. Even before the knockout rounds kicked off, Arsenal had already secured £85.3 million in prize money.
That total doesn’t even cover the bonuses linked to their on-field success, as each of their eight victories in the group stage brought in roughly £15.8 million altogether.
By finishing first out of 36 group-phase clubs, Arsenal earned an extra £8.6 million, and progressing straight to the round of 16 as one of the top eight teams secured them another £11.3 million.
They continued their strong run by eliminating Bayer Leverkusen after a 1-1 draw away and a 2-0 win at the Emirates, which added £10.8 million more to their earnings.
Overcoming Sporting CP in the quarter-finals also brought a £10.8 million bonus. While Arsenal’s motivation isn’t just financial, this level of income certainly aids in meeting profit and sustainability rules and other financial fair play criteria.
It’s also likely to support their summer transfer budget, as sporting director Andrea Berta looks to build on Arteta’s squad.
Last season, Arsenal took home £98.63 million after reaching the semi-finals before falling to PSG.
PSG, who went on to win the title, collected about £124.62 million last year, so Arsenal have now already surpassed that figure.
Meanwhile, UEFA has set aside a record £2.13 billion in prize money for the 2025-26 Champions League season, highlighting the competition’s growing financial stakes.
JAN OBLAK CONFESSES ATLETICO WERE "AFRAID TO PLAY" AGAINST ARSENAL
Following their Champions League exit, skipper Jan Oblak analysed where Atletico went wrong and paid tribute to Griezmann.
Jan Oblak didn’t hold back after Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League against Arsenal. He said straight up that the team just didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the final. Sure, he’s proud of how far the squad has come recently, but the way they went out still stings.
Oblak was pretty open about where things went wrong, especially after the first leg, when Atletico failed to take an advantage back to London. “I'm disappointed, just like all the fans. Honestly, I can’t find the words. We didn’t do enough to be in the final, and it’s just a tough moment. We had our chances to win, but we didn’t take them. All that’s left is to congratulate Arsenal.”
He didn’t stop there, either. Speaking to CBS Golazo, Oblak was even more direct about the team’s mentality, especially in the first half of both matches. He felt Atletico were hesitant, too respectful of Arsenal, and afraid to play. Both times, they fell behind before halftime and then tried to play catch-up, but it was always a little too late. “This has happened several times this season,” Oblak said, “and while we’ve managed to win those games before, not today when it mattered most.”
On the flip side, Oblak did give some credit to the young players and the growth the team’s shown, especially after a couple of big summers that saw a huge part of the squad change. “The last two seasons, we’ve switched out something like 15 players. A lot of young guys with not much experience came in. They did great in the cup, and they’ve held up in the Champions League too. In the league, we weren’t good enough for the biggest matches, but I’m proud of how the younger ones are growing. Still, when the goal is to win a title, and you don’t, you can’t call it a success. All we can do is look forward and hope we’ll be fighting for trophies next season.”
Saying goodbye to Antoine Griezmann made this exit even sadder for Oblak and the rest of the squad. Griezmann’s heading to Orlando City this summer, bringing the curtain down on his Champions League career with Atletico. “Everyone’s going to miss Griezi; he’s an incredible player and a great guy. The kind of person who’s always smiling, always positive, and does things on the pitch nobody else can. We’ll miss him a lot; the fans will miss him, but he deserves nothing but the best wherever he goes.”
At 33, Oblak is one of Atletico’s true leaders, right behind Koke for the captain’s armband. Alongside Jose Maria Gimenez and Marcos Llorente, he’s been a
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