Uefa

Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr alleges he was racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni.

Real Madrid has sent UEFA, football’s governing body in Europe, “all available evidence” of an alleged racist insult against Vinicius Jr in a Champions League match against Benfica.

“Our club has actively collaborated with the investigation opened by UEFA following the unacceptable episodes of racism experienced during that match,” the Spanish club said on Thursday without elaborating on the evidence.

UEFA appointed a special investigator on Wednesday to gather evidence about what happened in Lisbon on Tuesday in Madrid’s 1-0 win at Benfica in the first leg of the knockout round of the Champions League.

Vinicius accused Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni of calling him “monkey” after the Brazilian scored the only goal. Prestianni was among the Benfica players upset with Vinícius after the forward celebrated by the Benfica corner flag.

Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt when he allegedly spoke to the Brazilian player and denied racially abusing Vinicius, who is Black and has been subjected to repeated racist insults in Spain.

“Real Madrid appreciates the unanimous support, backing, and affection that our player Vinicius Jr. has received from all areas of the global football community,” the club said. “Real Madrid will continue working, in collaboration with all institutions, to eradicate racism, violence, and hate in sports and society.”

Benfica said Prestianni was the victim of a “defamation campaign” and welcomed the investigation opened by UEFA, saying it “fully supports and believes the version presented” by Prestianni.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Wednesday he was “shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism” and praised the referee for activating the antiracism protocol during the match, which was halted for nearly 10 minutes at the Stadium of Light.

“The cage was locked for most of the match, and I was the furthest one along – I couldn’t get out to use the toilet until half time and I don’t know what I would have done if there was a fire or something. I felt quite claustrophobic. It was unsettling.

“My personal assistant was separated from me, outside the cage, and I was worried about my phone dying in an emergency because I wasn’t allowed to take a power bank in.

“I know in theory the cage is for our safety from home fans, getting to and from the stadium was efficient, and the police and stewards were very friendly, but it’s 2026 – there has to be a better way than this.”

Jane Boland, 61, Liverpool fan in Marseille, France: “The riot police made entering and exiting the stadium really hard work. After being told to arrive at a designated meeting point more than four hours before kick off, we were held in overcrowded areas and made to wait for ages, sometimes with difficult or no toilet access.

“Leaving the stadium took over two hours after full time – by far the longest I’ve ever experienced. We were stood packed on stairwells for what felt like forever, and I had awful back pain afterwards. I understand that someone passed out and needed medical attention, and in retrospect I’m surprised it was only one.

“After two days of everything being great and nothing but friendly interaction between the two sets of fans, we were treated like cattle.

“I probably spent about £1000 on the trip, most of that in Marseille itself, so it smarts to be treated so badly as a ‘customer’.”

Sue Fox, 68, Spurs fan in Frankfurt, Germany: “Transport was pretty efficient, overall. The meeting point was well organised and the police gave clear instructions.

“Then we took a train and they marched us through a very dark, muddy forest for about half an hour. When we arrived at the ground the gates were locked so we had to queue for an hour, and we were all packed very close together. It was uncomfortable and inappropriate.

“The men were able to go to the toilet in the bushes, but what were we supposed to do? It was nearly two hours without being able to go.

“Inside, the only women’s toilet was in the home end, so we had to use the one there, which felt wrong and had the potential to be unsafe.”