Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni has been given a provisional one-game suspension after Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr alleged he was subjected to racist abuse during last week’s Champions League encounter.
The temporary measure means the Argentine will be unavailable for Wednesday’s second leg in Madrid, scheduled for 20:00 GMT.
UEFA confirmed that the sanction has been applied on an interim basis while an ethics and disciplinary inspector completes a full inquiry into the matter.
The governing body also indicated that additional consequences could follow once the investigation is finalised and reviewed by its disciplinary authorities.
Incident in Lisbon and reaction from both clubs
During the first leg in Lisbon, Vinicius informed referee Francois Letexier that he had been racially insulted by Prestianni in the second half of the playoff tie.
The Benfica player has rejected the accusation, while the Portuguese club announced plans to challenge the suspension, even though it acknowledged that any appeal is unlikely to alter his absence for the return fixture.
The match was paused for 10 minutes after Vinicius reported the alleged incident to the on-field official, with the Brazilian and several teammates briefly leaving the pitch.
Earlier in the game, the 25-year-old had scored a spectacular goal before receiving a booking for celebrating in front of Benfica supporters.
Mourinho suspended as UEFA cites prima facie evidence
Benfica head coach Jose Mourinho will also miss the Bernabeu clash after being sent off in the first leg. His post-match remarks drew criticism when he suggested Vinicius had celebrated in a disrespectful manner.
As a result of his touchline ban, Mourinho will not address the media ahead of the encounter, with assistant coach Joao Tralhao taking on press responsibilities instead.
UEFA explained that the interim suspension for Prestianni was issued because the available material was deemed sufficient to establish a “prima facie violation”.
In a statement, the organisation clarified that the measure does not prejudge any eventual ruling once the ongoing investigation has concluded and the case is formally submitted to its disciplinary bodies.
Benfica expressed regret at losing the player while proceedings remain open but reiterated its commitment to opposing racism and discrimination, describing those principles as central to its history, its global community, the Benfica Foundation, and figures such as Eusebio.