Vinicius releases statement on Prestianni alleged racism incident

Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior has given his version of events following alleged racial abuse by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. The Brazilian told referee Francois Letexier that he had been called a monkey by Prestianni, which the Argentine has since denied.

The incident occurred after Vinicius had given Los Blancos the lead in Lisbon, but arguments ensued following his celebrations. They continued back to the halfway line, and just before the restart, Letexier activated the anti-racism protocol after he was informed by Vinicius.

Vinicius statement on Prestianni

It could be seen clearly that Vinicius told Letexier that he had been called a monkey in Spanish, but there is no clarifying footage of Prestianni. As the two players continued arguing, Prestianni had his shirt over his mouth. Vinicius posted on Instagram that it was a sign of his cowardice.

Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are.

But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them.

Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team’s life. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why.

On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.

I don’t like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.

Mbappe backs up Vinicius

Teammate Kylian Mbappe was the strongest in his criticism of Prestianni from the Real Madrid side, assuring that Vinicius had been called a monkey no fewer than five times. The French forward also declared that Prestianni should be banned from the competition. UEFA have subsequently opened an investigation into the matter.