The president of FIFA (International Football Federation), Gianni Infantino, lamented the new episode of racism against Brazilian player Vinicius Junior.
During the match between Real Madrid and Benfica in the Champions League, on Tuesday afternoon (17), Vinicius reported to the French referee François Letexier that he had heard a racist insult from Gianluca Prestianni, the Argentine striker of the rival team, who denies the accusations.
“I was shocked and saddened to see the alleged incident of racism against Vinicius Júnior,” Infantino wrote in a story in Portuguese on his Instagram account. “There is absolutely no place for racism in our sport and society — we need all relevant stakeholders to take action and hold those responsible to account.”
Infantino also congratulated Letexier, who upon receiving Vini Jr.’s complaint immediately stopped the match and initiated the anti-racism protocol established by FIFA. After review by the video referee, Prestianni was not punished because he covered his mouth with his shirt when he addressed Vinicius, preventing the VAR from carrying out any type of lip reading.
“FIFA and football offer total solidarity to the victims of racism and all forms of discrimination. I will always continue to reiterate: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!”, concludes the note from the FIFA president.
The case is being investigated by UEFA, the entity that governs European football and is responsible for the tournament.
On his social networks, Prestianni wrote: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults at the player Vinícius Júnior, who regrettably misinterpreted what he believed he heard. I was never racist and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”
The CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) and other players published notes and made statements in support of Vini, including Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, who said he had heard the insults.
Benfica stated, in a post on social media, that the Brazilian’s teammates were not close enough to hear what Prestianni said.
