Kylian Mbappe has accused Gianluca Prestianni of racism against teammate Vinicius Jr during their UEFA Champions League playoff clash. The French star defended the Brazilian and stated that he heard the racist chants made by the Benfica player.
Mbappe defends Vinicius and accuses Benfica’s Prestianni of racism
As he spoke to Spanish TVE, Mbappe stated:
"There's Benfica's No. 25, I don't want to say his name because he doesn't deserve to be named, that started speaking badly.”
The 27-year-old continued:
"Then he pulled his jersey up to here [covering his mouth] to say that Vini is a monkey five times. I heard it. There are Benfica players that also heard it."
Vinicius scored a stunning goal to power the Los Blancos towards a 1-0 victory in an away match. However, the goal and the victory were overshadowed by allegations of racism. The Brazilian star accused Prestianni of racial abuse shortly after he netted a goal in the second half.
Following the controversy, the match was halted for 10 minutes. It is claimed that the Benfica player covered his face to racially abuse Vinicius. The matter is currently under investigation by UEFA.
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