Overview
- FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee, which ruled Wednesday under Article 70 of its code, extended UEFA’s six-match suspension of Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni to apply worldwide.
- Of the six games, he has already served one, three are suspended on a two-year probation, and two must be completed in official competitions rather than friendlies, according to Argentina’s federation.
- If called up by Lionel Scaloni, the 20-year-old would be unavailable for Argentina’s openers against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas and Austria on June 22 in Dallas.
- Prestianni denies discriminatory conduct and says he was punished without proof, while his camp weighs appeals to UEFA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport and may seek provisional clearance.
- The ban stems from a Feb. 17 match where Vinícius Júnior reported a racist insult, UEFA later cited discriminatory conduct, and IFAB voted on April 28 to allow red cards for players who cover their mouths to hide abusive behavior starting at this World Cup.