Sport24.az
UEFA has announced its official decision regarding Gianluca Prestianni after the incident that occurred during the UEFA Champions League play-off match between Benfica and Real Madrid. Sport24.az reports that the 20-year-old footballer has been banned for six matches in European competitions for using discriminatory and homophobic language towards Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior during the game.
Three of the ban's matches are conditional. If the footballer does not violate disciplinary rules in the next two years, these three matches may be lifted. Thus, Prestianni has already missed one match and will not be able to help his team in the next two European matches.
Although the Argentinian winger denies the racist insults, UEFA's disciplinary bodies assessed his actions under the article on discriminatory conduct. The incident occurred during the match that ended with Real Madrid's 1-0 victory.
In addition, UEFA has appealed to FIFA to extend the disqualification to tournaments held under the organization's patronage. If this request is accepted, Prestianni may miss international matches, including possible World Cup matches for the Argentine national team.
It is worth recalling that Jose Mourinho had previously spoken about this scandal, stating that if the footballer's guilt is proven, his career at Benfica will be over.
