THE REJECTED APPEAL: WHY UEFA OFFICIALLY DISMISSED BENFICA'S FIGHT TO SAVE GIANLUCA PRESTIANNI
Appeal failed: Discover why UEFA dismissed Benfica's attempt to play Gianluca Prestianni against Real Madrid in the UCL.
Benfica’s appeal to overturn Gianluca Prestianni’s suspension has been shot down, so the young Argentine winger will miss Wednesday night’s Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid. Prestianni, just 20, stands accused of racially abusing Vinicius Junior in last week’s first-leg clash.
The controversy began when Prestianni was caught on camera covering his mouth with his shirt while speaking to Vinicius. Vinicius reacted quickly, alerting referee François Letexier, who then triggered UEFA’s anti-racism protocol. The match paused for ten minutes before play resumed.
Benfica have backed Prestianni throughout, insisting Vinicius misunderstood him. Manager Jose Mourinho stirred up even more debate after the game, bizarrely claiming the club couldn’t be racist because legendary Benfica striker Eusebio was Black. A lot of people in European football weren’t impressed with that comment.
In a new twist, reports on Tuesday suggested Prestianni’s defence would argue he used a homophobic slur instead of a racist one, saying Vinicius provoked him by mocking his height. Of course, UEFA’s anti-discrimination rules cover homophobic language too, and if Prestianni is found guilty, he faces a lengthy ban.
Despite Benfica’s best efforts, UEFA rejected their appeal. The governing body said in a statement: “The appeal lodged by SL Benfica is dismissed. Consequently, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body’s decision of 23 February 2026 is confirmed. Mr Gianluca Prestianni remains provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible.”
Prestianni trained at the Bernabeu with his teammates in the build-up to the match, but he won’t take the field, and it’s not clear if he’ll even be in the stands. He also sat out Benfica’s 3-0 win over AVS Futebol SAD over the weekend.
Following the incident, several Real Madrid players expressed their support for Vinicius. Their manager, Alvaro Arbeloa, called on UEFA to take stronger action against racism. “We have a great opportunity to mark a turning point in the fight against racism,” he said. “UEFA, which has always led this fight, can do much more than just put up banners. I really hope they seize the moment. For us, our focus stays on playing football well, getting the result we want, and putting all our energy on the pitch. The rest is for UEFA to handle.”
Vinicius, who scored the only goal of the first leg with a stunning strike, will be crucial for Real Madrid as they try to book a place in the last 16. With Kylian Mbappé out injured, Madrid will lean on Vinicius even more. He’s in great form, too; he scored again on Saturday, making it five goals in his last four matches. Still, Madrid slipped up, losing 2-1 to Osasuna, which means they’re back behind Barcelona in the La Liga title race by a single point after 25 games.
If Real Madrid get past Benfica, they’ll meet either Manchester City or Sporting CP in the next round. The draw for the rest of the knockout stages is set for Friday.
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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