UEFA has provisionally suspended Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni for one match after the Argentine winger was accused of directing a racist slur at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. during the Spanish side’s 1-0 Champions League playoff first-leg win, European soccer’s governing body said on Monday.

Prestianni will miss Wednesday’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Real Madrid holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg in Lisbon.

The suspension is pending the outcome of the ongoing proceedings, as UEFA has appointed an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector to investigate the allegations of discriminatory behaviour.

“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,” UEFA said in a statement.

The first leg was suspended for 11 minutes shortly after Vinicius curled Real into the lead five minutes into the second half.

Television footage showed Prestianni covering his mouth with his shirt repeatedly before making comments that Vinicius and nearby team mates interpreted as a racial slur against the 25-year-old.

Referee Francois Letexier halted the match after activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocols. The footage appeared to show Real forward Kylian Mbappe confronting Prestianni and calling him “a bloody racist” while images from the broadcast seemed to show Benfica fans imitating a monkey.

PRESTIANNI DENIED ALLEGATION

Prestianni denied the allegation, saying Vinicius “misunderstood what he thinks he heard”.

Benfica, who last week said they stood by their player, issued a statement on Monday saying they “regret being deprived of the player while the case is still under investigation and will appeal UEFA’s decision”, though acknowledged the deadlines in question were unlikely to have any practical effect on the player being available for Wednesday’s match.

Mbappe told reporters he heard Prestianni direct the same racist remark at Vinicius several times, an allegation also made by Real’s French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Mbappe said he had been prepared to leave the pitch but was persuaded by Vinicius to continue playing.

“We cannot accept that there is a player in Europe’s top football competition who behaves like this. This guy (Prestianni) doesn’t deserve to play in the Champions League anymore,” Mbappe told reporters.

Vinicius later posted a statement on social media voicing his frustration.

“Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to cover their mouth with their shirt to show how weak they are. But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or my family’s life,” Vinicius wrote.

Anti-discriminatory body Kick It Out said focusing on Vinicius’ goal celebration instead of acknowledging the report was a “form of gaslighting” after Benfica coach Jose Mourinho said he thought Vinicius had incited the crowd.

“This approach not only harms the individual affected but also sends the wrong message to others around the world who may have experienced similar situations,” Kick It Out said.

Mourinho will not be on the bench for the second leg after receiving a red card for complaining in the first game.

• Reuters

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As the decisive second-leg play-offs of the UEFA Champions League approach, Heineken is ramping up excitement among Nigerian supporters through its global sponsorship platform, Fans Have More Friends (FHMF).

The initiative celebrates shared fandom as the heartbeat of Europe’s biggest club nights — a message resonating strongly across Nigeria, where communal match viewing has become part of the football culture.

Fans soak up the excitement at the UEFA Champions League Heineken Final watch party in Lagos last season.

Nigerian Stars in the Spotlight

With first-leg results setting up potential drama and comebacks, Nigerian fans are closely tracking their countrymen across Europe.

Victor Osimhen’s Galatasaray head to Turin with a commanding 5–2 advantage over Juventus after the first leg in Istanbul, where the Nigerian forward provided two assists in a dominant display.

Fans enjoy a vibrant atmosphere at the UEFA Champions League Heineken Final watch party in Lagos last season.

The road is steeper for Bruno Onyemaechi’s Olympiacos, who must overturn a 2–0 first-leg home defeat when they travel to Germany to face Bayer Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, Tuesday promises a compelling clash in Madrid as Raphael Onyedika’s Club Brugge take on Ademola Lookman’s Atlético. Both Lookman and Onyedika were on target in their respective first-leg outings and will be seeking to propel their sides into the next round.

Viewing Centres Brace for Crowds

Across Lagos and other major cities, viewing centres and sports lounges are preparing for another surge in attendance. From neighbourhood big screens to premium sports bars, the shared viewing experience remains central to Nigeria’s Champions League nights.

It is this atmosphere that Heineken’s Fans Have More Friends campaign seeks to amplify.

The platform unites the brand’s global sponsorships across football, Formula 1, and music festivals under one idea: shared passion fosters real human connections.

Research commissioned by Heineken across multiple markets, including Nigeria, underscores the social power of fandom. According to the findings:

• 75 per cent of respondents said their fandom helped them meet new people.
• 59 per cent credited fandom with forming some of their closest friendships.
• 72 per cent agreed that language is no barrier to making football friends in a bar.

Football, the data suggests, remains one of the strongest social connectors globally.

The campaign launched earlier this year with a social experiment in New York titled Have A Beer With Me. Partnering with content creator Zac Alsop, Heineken followed an Australian football fan preparing to watch a crucial Champions League game alone. After issuing a public invitation, hundreds responded, transforming the occasion into a premium viewing event complete with the Champions League trophy and a surprise appearance by former Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger.

A new television commercial featuring ambassadors Max Verstappen, Virgil van Dijk, and DJ Martin Garrix continues the narrative, showcasing spontaneous connections formed through sport and music.

In Nigeria, the campaign is being tailored through match-night activations and digital storytelling reflecting the country’s vibrant supporter culture.

Maria Shadeko, Portfolio Manager for Premium Beer at Nigerian Breweries Plc, said the initiative aligns naturally with how Nigerians experience football.

“Fandom has an incredible ability to bring people together. Across football, F1, and music, we see how shared passions help people meet, connect, and feel part of something bigger. As a champion for social life, Heineken’s Fans Have More Friends platform is about turning those shared moments into real connections wherever they are in the world,” she said.

She added that the Champions League’s blend of cultures, clubs, and identities reinforces the importance of connection at the heart of fandom.

With qualification hopes hanging in the balance and tension mounting ahead of kick-off, Heineken’s message to Nigerian fans is clear: football is best enjoyed together.

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Liverpool manager Arne Slot says more needs to be done to avoid racism in football following allegations by Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr that he was subjected to racist abuse from Benfica’s Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni.

Real’s 1-0 Champions League playoff first-leg win at Benfica on Tuesday was overshadowed by Vinicius accusing Prestianni of directing a racist slur at him, a charge denied by the Portuguese club, the player and their manager, Jose Mourinho.

European soccer’s governing body UEFA said it was reviewing the incident, which led to the game being halted for 11 minutes under FIFA’s anti-racism protocol.

“In general, you can never do enough, you can always do more to make sure this (racism in football) never happens again,” Slot told reporters ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League visit to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

“We have to try as a football community to do more than society does. That’s maybe not so difficult, by the way. Protocol was followed in the game, that’s the first step,” he said on Thursday.

“I would hope my players would act similarly – immediately address it, and the referee acts similarly.”

Regarding the Forest game, Slot expects a different set-up under the Midlands club’s new manager Vitor Pereira, compared to the meeting in November when Liverpool lost 3-0 at Anfield.

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Pereira was appointed last Sunday to replace the sacked Sean Dyche.

“We only have tonight (Thursday) to see if this new manager changes personnel,” Slot said, referring to Forest’s first game under Pereira at Fenerbahce in a Europa League playoff tie.

“The good thing is they have that game, and the manager was in the Premier League last season.”

The Dutchman said Jeremie Frimpong is still out this weekend, but fellow defender Joe Gomez is ready to start if needed. Slot said his side has improved over the past few months, with Liverpool sixth in the table on 42 points from 26 games. “We have improved compared to three or four months ago. We are in a much better place than three months ago, “ the 47-year-old added.

“There are more reasons, but the two simplest are how fit we are and that we’re much better at set-pieces at the moment.”

Forest are languishing in the 17^th spot, one place and three points above West Ham United in the relegation zone.

-Reuters

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