Vinícius Júnior has condemned what he described as racist 'cowards' after alleging he was racially abused during Real Madrid's 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica in Lisbon. The Brazilian forward claimed that Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni directed the word 'mono' (monkey) at him five times after Vinícius scored the only goal of the night in the 50th minute.
The incident prompted a 10-minute delay as referee François Letexier activated UEFA's anti-racism protocol. Vinícius initially appeared ready to leave the pitch, with Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa stating the team would have supported any decision he made. Kylian Mbappé, who witnessed the exchange, said Prestianni should not be allowed to play in the Champions League again.
In a social media post, Vinícius wrote: 'Racists are above all cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. But they have by their side the protection of others who, theoretically, have the obligation to punish.' He criticised the anti-racism protocol as 'poorly executed' and 'serving no purpose'.
Prestianni denied the allegations, stating on Instagram: 'I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard.' Benfica head coach José Mourinho urged balance, saying: 'I do not want to say that Vinícius is a liar and nor do I want to say that my player is an incredible boy.'
Arbeloa expressed full support for Vinícius, saying: 'We have to be totally intolerant of racism; we cannot allow things like this to happen on the pitch in 2026.' The match resumed after discussions between players, managers and officials, with Real Madrid securing a 1-0 victory.
