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A UEFA investigation has forced Benfica into a high-stakes test.
Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said Gianluca Prestianni’s career at the club will end if the player is found guilty of racially abusing Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr during their Champions League knockout-phase play-off.
Prestianni, 20, was accused by Vinicius during the first leg in Lisbon on Feb. 17, but the Argentine forward denies the allegation.
UEFA handed him a provisional one-match suspension pending the outcome of a full investigation by an ethics and disciplinary inspector.
Real Madrid advanced to the Round of 16 with a 3-1 aggregate victory.
The incident occurred during the first leg at Estadio da Luz.
After Vinicius Jr complained to the referee about alleged racial abuse from Gianluca Prestianni, officials halted the match for 10 minutes before play resumed.
Real won that match 1-0, with Vinicius scoring the only goal. In the second leg in Madrid, Real secured a 2-1 win on the night. Vinicius scored again as the Spanish side completed a 3-1 aggregate victory to move into the next round, which begins March 10.
Prestianni missed the second leg because of UEFA’s provisional ban, and further punishment remains possible once the investigation concludes.
Benfica “categorically” denied Portuguese media reports that Prestianni admitted to team-mates and club management that he had used a racist insult.
In a club statement, Benfica said the player apologized to his team-mates for the incident’s “magnitude and consequences” and assured them “that he is not racist.”
Jose Mourinho faced criticism after the first leg when he suggested Vinicius had incited the crowd by dancing at the corner flag after scoring.
On Sunday, the 63-year-old coach addressed the situation directly.
“If my player did not respect these principles, which are mine and Benfica’s as well, then that player’s career with a coach named Jose Mourinho and at a club named Benfica will come to an end,” he said.
Mourinho added, “I am not a scholar, but I am not ignorant either. The presumption of innocence is a human right, isn’t it? I stand by my opinion. If the player is indeed guilty, I will never look at him the way I looked at him before, and with me, it’s over. But I have to put many ‘ifs’ in front of it.”
During the controversial first leg, referee Francois Letexier sent Mourinho off after he complained that the official was intentionally avoiding booking Real players.
Mourinho, who managed Real Madrid from 2010-13, later told journalists: “A stadium where Vinicius plays, something happens, always.”
UEFA has not announced a timeline for completing its investigation.
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