Kylian Mbappé has accused Gianluca Prestianni of racially abusing Vinícius Júnior during Real Madrid’s 1–0 victory over Benfica in the UEFA Champions League knockout play-off.
The match at the Estádio da Luz was suspended for around 10 minutes in the second half after Vinícius reported alleged abuse to the referee. UEFA’s anti-racism protocol was subsequently activated before play resumed.
Mbappé details allegation
Speaking to Movistar+, Mbappé claimed he directly heard Prestianni use racist language toward his teammate.
“What I’ve seen is very clear: player number 25 told Vini five times, ‘You’re a monkey,’” Mbappé alleged.
“We have to set an example for children. This is the Champions League — the competition I dreamed of as a child — and there are things we cannot accept. The whole world is watching us.”
The French forward revealed that Madrid’s players briefly considered walking off the pitch in protest.
“We thought about leaving, that’s why we went off. Then several things happened and we came back. We stayed focused and we won — but tonight the result isn’t important. There are more important things than football.”
He added that the squad stood firmly behind Vinícius during the incident.
“I told him, ‘Whatever you want to do, we’ll do it as a team,’ because we will never leave him alone.”
Call for disciplinary action
Mbappé also stated that Prestianni did not apologize and suggested strong disciplinary measures should follow if the allegations are proven.
“We can’t accept a player like that playing in the Champions League; he doesn’t deserve it. But we’ll see what happens. Let UEFA make the decision. It’s a serious case.”
Television cameras captured Mbappé confronting Prestianni after playing resumed. The France international confirmed he called the Benfica winger a racist, saying: “Look at his face. He doesn’t deserve to play in the best competition in Europe.”
However, Prestianni has denied the accusation. Benfica manager José Mourinho said after the match that the player strongly refuted the claim.
UEFA is expected to open an investigation into the matter.
Vinícius has previously been subjected to racist abuse during his career, particularly in domestic competitions, but this marks the first time he has accused an opposing player of such behaviour in a European fixture.
