Teammate Vinicius Junior, whose incredible strike earned Real Madrid a vital 1-0 Champions League play-off first leg victory against Benfica on Tuesday, was the target of “disgusting” alleged racial taunts from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
When Vinicius accused Benfica midfielder Gianluca Prestianni of racially assaulting him, the game was halted for over ten minutes owing to a racism procedure.
It’s repulsive. Football is ashamed of what transpired tonight. Alexander-Arnold, a former full-back for Liverpool, stated, “It has ruined the night for the team.”
Kylian Mbappe, a forward for Real Madrid, demanded that Prestianni be suspended.
The captain of France told reporters, “We cannot accept that a player is participating in Europe’s top competition and acting in this manner.”
“This player is not worthy of participating in the Champions League once more.”
Vinicius, a Brazilian forward, had just scored the game’s lone goal in the 50th minute when he celebrated in front of the Lisbon home crowd, infuriating Benfica supporters and several teammates.
Following their argument, Vinicius rushed to referee Francois Letexier and informed the Frenchman, who had reserved him for his celebrations, that the Argentine had called him “mono,” which is Spanish for monkey.
After the match, Aurelien Tchouameni, a French midfielder, confirmed that Vinicius had said he was called a monkey.
Prestianni denied racially insulting Vinicius, according to Benfica coach Jose Mourinho, who also criticized the Brazilian for encouraging Benfica’s players and supporters with his celebration.
Mourinho, who was dismissed late in the game for vehemently arguing that Vinicius ought to have been given a second booking, remarked, “When you score a goal like that, you celebrate in a respectful way.”
“There must be a problem because things always happen in the stadium where Vinicius plays.”
“He said something ugly,” said Real captain Federico Valverde, who expressed his pride in Vinicius’s handling of the situation.
Valverde told Movistar, “I don’t know what he (Prestianni) said, but all the teammates who were nearby said he said something ugly, something he shouldn’t say.”
Prior to the altercation that infuriated Vinicius, Prestianni had covered his mouth with his jersey.
“If you cover your mouth to speak, it’s because he’s saying something bad,” Valverde continued.
“What I’ll remember most about Vini is that he persevered and played a fantastic game, and I’m proud of the teammates who stood up for him.”
The 25-year-old Vinicius has been the target of racist taunts from opposition supporters on multiple occasions while in Spain.
Among other court convictions, four Atletico Madrid ultras were given suspended jail sentences in June of last year for hanging a mannequin of Vinicius from a bridge in what police considered to be a “hate crime.”
Following racist taunts, Vinicius faced off against supporters at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium in May 2023.
When asked if his team should have left the field, Valverde responded, “It’s happened a lot already, and at this point I think, well, I think leaving the pitch isn’t an option that football as a spectacle would appreciate, but there’s also someone who has harmed the spectacle by saying something that isn’t right.”
As they celebrated Vinicius’ goal, some Benfica supporters threw objects at Real players.
Letexier showed a Real backroom staff member a red card during the ensuing heated altercations between the two benches.
Real Madrid easily won the match after a more than ten-minute stoppage caused by Letexier’s application of the racism procedure.
