The football world was stunned on Tuesday night as a Champions League knockout play-off between Benfica and Real Madrid at Estadio da Luz was marred by a disturbing incident involving alleged racist abuse directed at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. The match, which saw Real Madrid edge Benfica 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from the Brazilian forward, ground to a halt for ten minutes after Vinicius Jr reported a comment made by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni immediately following the goal.
It all unfolded just after the 50th minute, with Vinicius Jr celebrating what would prove to be the only goal of the night. As the cheers from the away section echoed through the Lisbon stadium, Prestianni approached the Madrid star in what initially looked like a routine exchange between competitors. However, the situation quickly turned serious. Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt before allegedly making a comment that left Vinicius visibly shaken. Instead of basking in the glory of his goal, the Brazilian sprinted straight to referee François Letexier to report the incident.
Letexier’s response was immediate and decisive. Crossing his arms in front of his face—the official gesture for activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocol—he stopped the match on the spot. Players from both teams were ushered off the field, and a tense hush fell over the stadium as officials began their assessment. The stoppage, which lasted ten minutes, left fans and players alike searching for answers as to what had transpired on the pitch.
During the break, emotions ran high. Vinicius Jr was clearly distraught, his body language leaving no doubt about the seriousness of the situation. In a remarkable display of sportsmanship and empathy, Benfica’s head coach Jose Mourinho was seen crossing the technical divide to console the Real Madrid forward. Mourinho’s gesture underscored the gravity of the moment—some things, it seemed, were more important than the scoreline or club loyalties.
Meanwhile, the incident sent shockwaves through both teams. Real Madrid’s manager Álvaro Arbeloa later revealed, “I told him that whatever he decided, we would be at his side. We will fight together always. The referee said he hadn’t heard anything and that in that situation he can’t do anything. Whatever Vinicius had decided, we would have done. We cannot tolerate this.” Arbeloa’s words reflected a team united behind their player, ready to walk off the pitch in solidarity if Vinicius chose not to continue.
As the dust settled, more details began to emerge. Kylian Mbappé, who was on the pitch and close to the incident, publicly condemned Prestianni’s alleged actions and called for UEFA to take strong disciplinary measures. “I asked Vini what he wanted us to do. He told me: ‘Yes, we were going to leave the field’. They whistled at us because the fans didn’t hear what they told us. We have to do something, we can’t allow this. I hope measures are taken. For me, this guy shouldn’t play in the Champions anymore,” Mbappé stated, according to Madrid Universal. He later added, “[Prestianni] called Vinícius a monkey five times, I saw it. I cannot let things like this go. He’s a young player, how can you say things like that on a football pitch? We were going to go, that was the team’s decision. I don’t know what happened and then we came back. This type of person is no colleague, he shouldn’t play the Champions League again.”
Other football figures echoed the outrage. Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde branded Prestianni’s actions “pathetic,” while Barcelona legend Thierry Henry and former Manchester City defender Micah Richards both condemned the Benfica winger, with Richards calling him a “coward.” The incident also prompted Aurelien Tchouameni, who was named man-of-the-match, to share what he’d heard from both sides: “Vini told us the Prestianni guy called him a monkey, but the Benfica player was saying he only called him a f*ggot.” Tchouameni’s account highlighted the deeply troubling nature of the exchange—either term, whether racist or homophobic, is wholly unacceptable in football or any walk of life.
Vinicius Jr himself did not mince words in his response. Taking to social media after the match, he 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. I don’t like appearing in situations like this, especially after a great victory when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it’s necessary.” He further criticized the referee’s handling of the situation, lamenting a “poorly executed protocol that served no purpose.”
On the Benfica side, Jose Mourinho tried to strike a balanced note. “I want to try to be more balanced than Arbeloa and Mbappé. 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. They have decided to go their way, their perspective; I don’t want to go there. I said to Vinícius [at first]: you scored a goal that was out of this world, why do you celebrate like this? Why not celebrate like Di Stéfano, Pelé, Eusébio, just with the happiness of being a player from another world?” Mourinho’s comments reflected the complexity of the situation, as he attempted to navigate between supporting his own player and acknowledging the seriousness of the accusation.
Adding to the drama, a member of the Benfica coaching staff received a red card during the stoppage. While match reports did not clarify the exact identity or reason for the dismissal, red cards for coaching staff typically indicate serious misconduct or a failure to control players in moments of crisis. The ejection served as a further sign of the tension and gravity surrounding the incident.
This is not the first time Vinicius Jr has faced such abuse. The Brazilian international has been a frequent target of racist behavior, especially in Spain’s La Liga, and has become a vocal advocate for stronger action against discrimination in football. Tuesday’s events reignited the debate about the effectiveness of anti-racism protocols and the willingness of football’s governing bodies to enforce meaningful consequences.
FIFA and UEFA’s anti-racism protocols are designed to empower referees to halt matches and, if necessary, abandon them entirely in the face of discriminatory behavior. Yet, as Vinicius and many others pointed out, the real question is whether these protocols are being enforced with the seriousness the issue demands.
As the Champions League tie moves to its second leg at the Bernabeu next week, all eyes will remain on both clubs and the governing bodies to see what actions—if any—will be taken in response to the incident. For now, the football world is left grappling with yet another painful reminder of the work still to be done to eradicate racism and discrimination from the beautiful game.