Follow Us on Google
By John Ogunsemore
Benfica winger, Gianluca Prestianni has denied racially abusing Real Madrid star, Vinicius Jr when both sides clashed in the UCL knockout stage play-off on Tuesday night.
The encounter at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon was paused for 10 minutes after Vinicius told French referee Francois Letexier that Prestianni racially abused him.
The incident has drawn strong reactions from Real Madrid players, coaching staff and management.
Other News
However, Prestianni, 20, took to Instagram to deny racially abusing the Brazilian.
The Argentine, who had drawn his shirt over his mouth before speaking, said Vinicius must have misunderstood what he heard.
“I want to clarify that at no point did I direct racist insults at Vinícius Jr, who unfortunately misunderstood what he thought he heard. I have never been racist toward anyone,” beIN Sports quoted Prestianni as stating.
He added, “And I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
