Real Madrid CF has announced that it has furnished UEFA with all pertinent evidence as the organization investigates claims of racial abuse directed at forward Vinícius Júnior.
The Brazilian national reported an incident of racial discrimination by a player from Benfica to referee Francois Letexier during the Champions League knockout stage match held in Lisbon on Tuesday. Real Madrid identified the player involved as Benfica's winger, Gianluca Prestianni.
On February 19, UEFA confirmed that a disciplinary investigation had been launched concerning the occurrences during the match. Following this, Real Madrid released a statement detailing their cooperation with UEFA's inquiry.
"Real Madrid CF announces that it has today provided UEFA with all available evidence regarding the incidents that occurred on Tuesday, February 17, during the Champions League match against SL Benfica in Lisbon," the club's statement said.
The statement continued, "Our club has actively cooperated with the investigation initiated by UEFA in response to the unacceptable instances of racism encountered during that match."
Additionally, Real Madrid expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support and compassion Vinícius Jr. has garnered from the global football community. The club reiterated its commitment to collaborating with all relevant entities to eliminate racism, violence, and hatred in both sports and society.
The game experienced a brief suspension in accordance with UEFA protocols after Vinícius claimed he faced discrimination following a goal celebration. Play was interrupted for around ten minutes before resuming, with Vinícius participating in the entirety of the match.
Following the conclusion of the game, Vinícius took to his Instagram story, stating in Portuguese: "Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to demonstrate how weak they are."
He added, "However, they have protection from others who, theoretically, are obliged to impose penalties. None of what occurred today is new to me and my family. I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don’t understand why. On the other hand, it was merely a poorly executed procedure that served no purpose."
In response to the allegations, Prestianni denied making any racist remarks in an Instagram post, while SL Benfica condemned what they described as a "smear campaign" against their player.
Benfica's head coach, Jose Mourinho, has also faced backlash from anti- discrimination organization Kick It Out, which criticized his statements after the match as an instance of "gaslighting."
During his interview with Amazon Prime, Mourinho remarked, "I told [Vinicius] that when you score a goal like that, you should just celebrate and return to position. They [Vinicius and Prestianni] shared differing accounts with me. However, I don’t lean towards any side. I prefer to remain neutral in this matter."
He further stated that "something always occurs" in matches where Vinícius is involved. The investigation by UEFA regarding the incident is still ongoing.
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