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.

Kylian Mbappe looks set to miss the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off with Benfica after picking up a knee injury in training. Madrid hosts Benfica at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night, holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon.

Mbappe left training early on Tuesday because of pain in his left knee. L’Equipe reports that he had tests that afternoon, and the results were pretty clear: there’s no way he’ll play against Benfica.

That’s a big shift from what Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa said just hours before. In his press conference, Arbeloa insisted Mbappe was ready and had been pushing through the pain for weeks.

“Kylian is ready to play tomorrow, and really, that’s what matters most right now. He’s been here for weeks, and everyone can see the commitment he’s showing to his teammates, to the team, to me, to the club, and to the fans. I want to point out just how hard Kylian is working. He’s trying to help us out there.

“He changes the game. Any defender facing him knows he can decide things in a second. He’s ready for tomorrow; we’ll need him, and he’ll have a great game.”

Meanwhile, Benfica comes to Madrid under a cloud. The first leg was marred by Vinicius Junior’s claim that Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him after Vinicius scored the only goal. Prestianni has been handed a provisional one-match Champions League ban, though he denies the accusation. He says he actually directed a homophobic slur at Vinicius after being called a “dwarf” by the Brazilian. That defence probably won’t hold, and he could end up with a longer ban.

Arbeloa and Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois both spoke about the incident on Tuesday. Arbeloa said, “We have a chance to make a real difference in the fight against racism. UEFA always says it’s fighting racism, but this is a moment to go beyond slogans or banners. I hope they take it.

“For us, the focus is on playing at a high level and doing the job on the pitch so we can win. That’s where our energy is going. The rest, honestly, isn’t our responsibility. That’s for UEFA to decide.”

Courtois added, “A lot of things haven’t been handled well. Racism and homophobia – none of that is acceptable, and the insult is just as serious. Vini didn’t do anything wrong. He celebrated the way plenty of opponents have celebrated against us. In the end, we have to move forward. You can’t excuse an act of racism because of a celebration.”