Real Madrid have confirmed they have provided Uefa with 'all available evidence' following allegations of racism against their forward Vinicius Junior during Tuesday's Champions League match against Benfica in Lisbon.
The Brazilian reported to referee Francois Letexier that he had been subjected to racial abuse by a Benfica player, later identified by the Spanish club as winger Gianluca Prestianni. Uefa opened a disciplinary investigation on Wednesday.
A club statement said: 'Real Madrid CF announces that it has today provided Uefa with all available evidence regarding the incidents that occurred during the Champions League match that our team played in Lisbon against SL Benfica. Our club has actively co-operated with the investigation.'
Play was paused for 10 minutes under Uefa regulations after Vinicius alleged he had been abused following his goal celebration. The forward later received a yellow card and completed the match.
In an Instagram post, Vinicius wrote: 'Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to demonstrate how weak they are. But they have protection from others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish.'
Prestianni denied the accusations on social media, while Benfica criticised what they called a 'defamation campaign'. Benfica coach Jose Mourinho attracted criticism from anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out for comments described as 'gaslighting'.
