Might makes right: Benfica's Prestianni banned, Madrid's Valverde let off

A week ago, the racism scandal between Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica and Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid erupted, overshadowing all the other Champions League games. And now, the first disciplinary decisions regarding the case have been made.

The Argentinian has been temporarily banned by UEFA and won't be eligible for the return leg at Santiago Bernabeu.

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"Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Playoff match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour."

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"This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies. Further information about this matter will be made available in due course," the governing body of European football said in its statement via ESPN.

In the first clash in Lisbon, Prestianni covered his mouth with his jersey and said something to Vini, following the Brazilian's opener. According to him and his teammate Kylian Mbappe, the Argentinian called him "monkey" several times. And even though Prestianni denied those claims, he was punished.

On the other hand, in the case of Fede Valverde and his fist in the face of Benfica's Samuel Dahl, UEFA's decision was different.

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The Portuguese side demanded a suspension for the Uruguayan, even though he didn't receive a card in last week's game, but the Disciplinary Committee let him off without any consequences.

Hence, Valverde will be at Alvaro Arbeloa's disposal tomorrow, while Prestianni will be forced to sit out the clash, although he travelled with the team to Madrid.

A just decision or another example of the saying "might makes right"?

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - PLAYOFFS

Return leg

Tuesday

20.45: (1.45) Atl.Madrid (4.80) Club Brugge (8.00)

23.00: (1.25) Inter (7.00) Bodo (12.0)

23.00: (1.83) Leverkusen (3.95) Olympiakos (4.25)

23.00: (1.15) Newcastle (10.5) Qarabag (17.0)

Wednesday

20.45: (2.15) Atalanta (3.50) Dortmund (3.60)

22.00: (1.53) Juventus (4.80) Galatasaray (5.95)

23.00: (1.25) PSG (6.50) Monaco (10.0)

23.00: (1.45) Real Madrid (4.50) Benfica (7.00)

***odds are subject to change***