Gianluca Prestianni has reportedly confessed to teammates at SL Benfica that he directed a racist insult toward Vinícius Júnior during a recent match against Real Madrid CF. According to Correio da Manhã,Prestianni allegedly admitted to calling the Brazilian forward a monkey, while maintaining that he does not consider himself racist.

Benfica have strongly denied those claims. In an official statement, the Portuguese club rejected the reports that the player had informed teammates or club officials that he used a racist insult toward Vinícius Júnior.

The club stated that Benfica categorically denies that Prestianni has communicated to the squad or to club officials that he uttered a racist insult to the Real Madrid player. They also emphasized that the player had already apologized to his colleagues for the incident that occurred during the match, expressing regret over the dimension and consequences of the situation. According to the statement, Prestianni assured those at the club, as he did from the first moment, that he is not racist.

The matter remains under investigation by UEFA, which is reviewing the events surrounding the match. He was suspended for the second leg game against Real Madrid ar the Santiago Bernabeu but no big decision or disciplinary outcome has yet been announced.