‘It Hurt’—Gianluca Prestianni Breaks Long Silence on Vinicius Jr Racism Accusation

Prestianni finally revealed precisely what he said to Vinicius Jr and how he has dealt with the fierce fallout.

Gianluca Prestianni (left) and Vinicius Jr were at the center and an unsavory incident. | Octavio Passos-UEFA/UEFA/Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images

In his first public comments since being suspended following a clash with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, Benfica forward Gianluca Prestianni defended himself and all his actions, shifting the focus onto his accusers and the supposedly false allegations of racism which “hurt” him and his family.

Shortly after celebrating a spectacular opening goal, Vinicius Jr stopped Madrid’s Champions League last-16 contest with Benfica in February to report a racial slur from Prestianni. The Brazilian forward accused his Argentine counterpart of calling him a “monkey.” Prestianni’s teammates, manager and Benfica as an institution forcefully defended the forward, whose exact words couldn’t be proven by an outside party as he was covering his mouth with his shirt at the time.

UEFA swiftly launched an investigation, which is still ongoing, before taking the unexpected step of dishing out a one-match ban following a provisional ruling. That unorthodox decision prevented the awkward prospect of Prestianni facing Madrid at the Bernabéu for the second leg of the European contest.

Immediately after that first encounter, the Benfica forward took to social media to defend himself, insisting: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”

Prestianni has now come out to clarify precisely what he said and how he has dealt with the fallout in an interview with Telefe’s Sofi Martínez.

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Prestianni: ’For Us Argentines, It’s Normal’

Gianluca Prestianni was suspended for the second leg at the Bernabéu. | Joao Bravo/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

Prestianni’s defense boiled down to a case of mistaken insult. Rather than the Spanish word “mono,” which translates to “monkey,” the diminutive winger claimed to have called Vinicius Jr a “cagón” (coward) and the homophobic slur “maricón” (f-----).

According to Prestianni, it’s standard fare to dish out these types of barbs in South America. “For us Argentines,” he said, “it’s a normal insult to say ‘cagón’ or ‘maricón.’”

By way of example, Prestianni claimed that Vinicius Jr’s Real Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé called him a “puto racista” (f------ racist) during the contest.

“I heard it, and for Argentines, that’s a normal insult,” Prestianni shrugged. “They call me a racist when I’ve never been one and never will be. They insult you to throw you off your game, but I would never react; on the contrary, the idea is to prove yourself on the field.”

If Prestianni did indeed use a homophobic slur rather than a racial slur, he would still have violated Article 14 of UEFA’s Disciplinary Regulations. These rules state that anyone “who insults the human dignity of a person or group of persons on whatever grounds, including skin color, race, religion, ethnic origin, gender or sexual orientation, incurs a suspension lasting at least 10 matches or a specified period of time, or any other appropriate sanction.”

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How Prestianni Has Dealt With Racism Backlash

Vinicius Junior (left) took issue with a comment from Gianluca Prestianni. | Valter Gouveia/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

Outside of the specific Benfica enclave, the soccer world almost universally united behind Vinicius Jr. Even those who defended Prestianni were subjected to opprobrium while the player himself had his character torn apart.

Prestianni revealed the strain this backlash has taken, not only on himself, but his family as well. “I thought about my mom, my dad and my grandparents having to hear so many things that aren’t true," he reflected. “It’s one thing for me—I’m a soccer player and I’m used to people talking—but it’s another thing for them.”

“I don’t know if I was really focused on whether something was going to happen,” Prestianni added. “It hurt that they accused me of something I never did—that’s what hurt the most. I’m very calm because everyone who knows me knows the kind of person I am, and that’s enough for me. They sanctioned me without any evidence, but it’s in the past now.”

It’s not quite in the past. UEFA still have to deliver a final verdict on Prestianni’s punishment. Given he has already effectively admitted to a violation of Article 14, the minimum penalty is a 10-game ban.

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