Key Takeaways
- Gianluca Prestianni banned for six Champions League games, three suspended, after homophobic insult towards Vinícius Júnior.
- UEFA will ask FIFA to extend the ban to Argentina’s first two 2026 World Cup matches.
- Rule-makers may soon issue automatic red cards for players who cover their mouths while confronting opponents.
Benfica’s 18-year-old winger Gianluca Prestianni has been handed a six-match European suspension for homophobic abuse aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior during a Champions League tie in Lisbon on 17 February.
UEFA’s control, ethics and disciplinary panel ruled that Prestianni insulted the Brazilian’s sexual orientation, an offence that normally carries a ten-game ban. Three matches are suspended for two years, and the Argentine youth international has already sat out one fixture, leaving two more immediate games to miss.
European football’s governing body will also petition FIFA to apply the punishment to worldwide competitions, meaning Prestianni could be absent for Argentina’s opening pair of 2026 World Cup fixtures.
The flash-point occurred in the second-half play-off round clash at the Estádio da Luz. Television pictures showed Prestianni pulling his shirt over his mouth before speaking to Vinícius, who then walked to the touch-line and refused to continue for ten minutes while officials spoke to both captains.
Although Vinícius first spoke of racial abuse, investigators classed the comment as homophobic. Sources close to the case say Prestianni admitted wrongdoing, prompting the panel to cut the standard sanction.
The episode has pushed law-making body IFAB toward a swift rule change. When the board meets in Canada next week it will discuss an automatic red card for any player who hides his mouth while confronting an opponent. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already backed the idea, arguing that covering the lips suggests an intent to offend.
