Real Madrid head coach Álvaro Arbeloa and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois have called on UEFA to take a genuine stand against racism following the alleged racial abuse of Vinícius Júnior by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni during last week’s Champions League playoff first leg. Arbeloa implored the governing body to go beyond slogans, while Courtois expressed disappointment with Benfica manager José Mourinho for linking the incident to Vinícius’s goal celebration.
The match at the Estádio da Luz was delayed for 10 minutes after Vinícius reported to referee François Letexier that Prestianni had racially abused him. Teammate Kylian Mbappé later accused Prestianni of calling Vinícius a “monkey” five times. Prestianni travelled to Madrid for the return leg after Benfica appealed the provisional one-match ban imposed by UEFA during its investigation.
Arbeloa said: “We have a great chance to mark a before and after. UEFA has flown the flag for anti-racism, and we now have a chance to not leave that as just a slogan, a nice banner to bring out before games, but to make it real.” Courtois added: “This is a good moment for football to end these things… It would be a good message for UEFA to act.”
Courtois also criticised Mourinho for referencing Vinícius’s celebration, saying: “The only thing that disappoints me a bit is him using Viní’s celebration. Vini didn’t do anything bad. You can’t justify an alleged act of racism with a celebration.” When asked about suggestions that Prestianni may have used a homophobic slur instead, Courtois replied: “Those are homophobic insults and it’s as serious… Racism, homophobia: we cannot accept those things ever.”
Benfica president Rui Costa reiterated the club’s belief in Prestianni’s innocence, stating: “We believe in our player’s word… Prestianni is being crucified as a racist person, and I can guarantee that he is anything but racist.” Benfica used Costa’s words as justification for their decision to bring Prestianni to Madrid.
