Champions League: Vinicius Alleged Racial Abuse
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
At the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off between Real Madrid and Benfica on 17 February 2026, the match was halted for 10 minutes after Vinicius Junior alleged that he had been racially abused and left the pitch with his team-mates.
Following an interaction with Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica, Vinicius ran over to speak with the referee, who then made the crossed arms gesture to signal racist abuse, which gesture was introduced by FIFA in May 2024.
The match was resumed ten minutes later, and, during the 12 minutes of stoppage time, an object was thrown from the crowd which struck Vinicius on the arm.
After the match, Vinicius stated:
"Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are."
Prestianni denied racially abusing Vinicius, stating:
"I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard."
And added:
"I was never racist with anyone, and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players."
Vinicius has been the subject of racist attacks during his playing career, and, last year, five people received suspended prison sentences for racially abusing him. This is the first time that a conviction for racism at a football match in Spain has been issued.
It may be added that UEFA established, in 2009, a three-step racism protocol to deal with incidents of discrimination inside stadiums.
The protocol gives referees the power to halt or even abandon matches if racist behaviour continues.
If referees become aware of a racist incident, they will:
- Stop the match. If the incident involves members of the crowd, an announcement will be made over the public address system calling for any racist behaviour to stop.
- If it continues, the game is stopped for five to 10 minutes, and the players will be taken off the pitch whilst another announcement is made.
- If it resumes after the second restart, the referee may abandon the game.
However, a match will only be abandoned after the security of the players and the public has been assessed. The case will then be referred to the UEFA disciplinary authorities.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
