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UEFA has rejected Benfica's appeal and upheld the provisional suspension of Gianluca Prestianni, ruling him out of tonight's crucial Champions League knockout second leg against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Prestianni WILL NOT play tonight in Real Madrid vs Benfica UCL clash
The decision follows allegations that Prestianni directed a racist slur at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the first leg in Lisbon last week, after the Brazilian scored the only goal in a 1-0 win.
Prestianni, the 20-year-old Argentine winger, has denied using racial abuse, with some reports indicating he admitted to a homophobic remark instead, though UEFA treats both discriminatory offenses with similar severity.
The ban, imposed while the full investigation continues, removes a key attacking threat from Benfica's lineup under manager Jose Mourinho and underscores UEFA's rapid response to racism claims amid Vinícius' history of facing such incidents in European competitions.
While Benfica will miss Prestianni, the Los Blancos will be without their superstar player, Kylian Mbappe, following injury. Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo have also been sidelined for tonight. It remains to be seen how the 15-time UCL champions overcome this obstacle while Mourinho attempts to eliminate his former side, as he himself stated before.
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