Updated On: 01 March, 2026 09:42 AM IST | Lisbon | AFP
The February 17 defeat to Madrid was marred by alleged racial abuse aimed at the Spanish club's Vinicius Junior by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni

SL Benfica's Argentine forward Gianluca Prestianni hides his mouth while arguing with Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior who complained about alleged racists insults during the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg football match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. Pic/AFP
Benfica announced on Friday they had provisionally suspended five supporters for allegedly making racist comments during this month's Champions League first leg loss to Real Madrid.
The February 17 defeat to Madrid was marred by alleged racial abuse aimed at the Spanish club's Vinicius Junior by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni. Vinicius scored the winner before the alleged abuse led to the game being stopped for around 10 minutes. Madrid reached the last 16 with a 3-1 aggregate success over the Portuguese outfit on Wednesday.