Overview
- Referee François Letexier halted play and invoked UEFA’s anti‑racism protocol after Vinícius reported abuse during the playoff first leg in Lisbon.
- Vinícius alleges Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni called him “mono,” a slur meaning “monkey,” while Prestianni denies racism on Instagram and describes a misunderstanding.
- UEFA has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate the incident, and no disciplinary ruling has been announced.
- Real Madrid says it has submitted all available match evidence to UEFA, focusing part of its review on abusive behavior in the stands.
- Benfica circulated video disputing Madrid’s account, as reactions mounted with Kylian Mbappé condemning the episode and José Mourinho criticized for downplaying it.