UEFA sanctions Benfica over Vinicius racism incident in Champions League loss to Real Madrid

The past month has been dominated by Vinicius, after the Real Madrid player reported racist insults during the Champions League match against Benfica. Gianluca Prestianni had already been provisionally suspended for the rematch, but now the Portuguese club has also been punished.

The decision was not based on the incident between the players, but on the actions of Benfica fans, who made gestures toward Vinicius. UEFA sanctioned Benfica by closing a section of nearly 500 seats at Estadio da Luz for their next European match, with a probation period of one year.

Benfica were also fined 40,000 euros by the relevant ethics committee for racist chants and insults directed at the Real Madrid player in that match. On top of that, they received a 25,000 euro fine for throwing objects onto the field. Assistant coach Pedro Luis Ferreira Machada will also be banned from taking part in their next match.

Benfica-Real Madrid conflict’s context

The Champions League playoff to decide the eight teams moving on to the round of 16 made this one of the most anticipated ties. The two sides had already met in the final match of the league phase, with Benfica scoring a late goal through their goalkeeper to secure a place among the top 24 clubs.

Even if Anatoliy Trubin’s goal was celebrated by everyone in the stadium for a long time, the rematch in the next round was different. The first leg was played in a tense atmosphere that saw Real Madrid leave with an important victory.

Vinicius scored in the 51st minute before celebrating in the corner. That led to a series of exchanges between the players, with the Brazilian complaining to the referee that Prestianni had insulted him. The match was stopped for eight minutes, as VAR could not find any camera angle that confirmed the insult.

What made the sanction less severe

Immediately after the incident, the club backed its player. However, what may have helped reduce the severity of the punishment was how quickly they acted against their own supporters. Days after the match, Benfica suspended the fans they identified making racist gestures toward the players.