Kylian Mbappe has called on UEFA to ban Ginluca Prestianni from playing in the Champions League after allegedlly racially abusing Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior. The Benfica winger covered his mouth with his shirt before directing a comment towards Vinicius.
Tempers flared in the second half between Madrid and Benfica and Vinicius' winner resulted in ugly scenes. His celebrations caused a furious reaction from the Liga Portugal side whose players took umbrage with the Brazilian.
Vinicius was booked for his celebrations but an alteraction between the Madrid man and Prestianni ended in the Brazilian star walking off the pitch. His teammates followed him after he had informed the referee that he had been racially abused.
Mbappe reacts to Vinicius racism
Shortly after the incident had occured Mbappe confronted Prestianni in anger. The Frenchman was right by Vinicius during the exchange and appeared to have heard what was said.
Mbappe commented on the situation after Madrid's win over Benfica and he wants UEFA to take action. He said (via Madrid Universal):
"I asked Vini what he wanted us to do. He told me: "Yes, we were going to leave the field". They whistled at us because the fans didn't hear what they told us. We have to do something, we can't allow this. I hope measures are taken. For me, this guy shouldn't play in the Champions anymore."
The referee paused the game for 10 minutes after invoking UEFA's racism protocol. Play eventually resumed and Prestianni was allowed to continue despite Vinicius' accusation.
Federico Valverde branded Prestianni's actions 'pathetic' when speaking about the incident. A similar stance was given by Barcelona legend Thierry Henry and former Manchester City right-back Micah Richards who called the Argentine a "coward."
Aurelien Tchouameni on what was said
Aurelien Tchouameni won man-of-the-match on a night that will be remembered for a racism scandal. The French midfielder gave an insight into what both Vinicius and Prestianni claim was said by the Benfica man (via Madrid Zone):
"Vini told us the Prestianni guy called him a m*nkey, but the Benfica player was saying he only called him a f*ggot."
Even if Prestianni called Vinicius a "f*ggot" this is homophobic and will rightly lead to a suspension. His decision to hide his face when speaking to the Madrid attacker indicates that he had said something beyond the pale.
Madrid will turn their attention to La Liga this Saturday when they travel to Osasuna. They play the second leg of their Champions League playoff against Benfica at the Bernabeu next week.