SL Benfica have lost their appeal against Gianluca Prestianni’s provisional suspension before facing Real Madrid CF on Wednesday night.
The Argentine winger will miss the decisive Champions League second leg encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu against the Spanish giants.
Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Vinicius Junior during last week’s first leg meeting between both sides.
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The alleged incident prompted referee Francois Letexier to activate UEFA’s anti-racism protocol, causing a lengthy ten-minute delay during proceedings.
Benfica immediately defended their player, insisting Vinicius had misheard comments made during an on-field exchange between both players.
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UEFA released a statement confirming: “The appeal lodged by SL Benfica is dismissed in full.”
The governing body added Prestianni “remains provisionally suspended” for the next UEFA club competition fixture he would otherwise play.
Reports suggested the winger claimed he used inappropriate language rather than racist abuse during the heated exchange.
Such discriminatory language still breaches UEFA regulations and can result in significant disciplinary sanctions if proven, reports GOAL.
The 20-year-old trained at the Santiago Bernabeu despite confirmation he cannot feature on Wednesday night.
Several Madrid players publicly voiced support for Vinicius following the controversial episode in Lisbon.
Manager Alvaro Arbeloa urged UEFA to “mark a turning point” in tackling racism decisively.
He added authorities must do “more than slogans” when addressing serious discrimination allegations.
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