Mbappe calls for Prestianni ban over racist slur at Vinicius

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe said Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni should be banned from the Champions League after the Argentine was accused of directing a racist slur at Vinicius Jr during the Spanish side's IO playoff first-leg win on Tuesday.

- 

Denying the accusation, Prestianni said the Brazilian misheard him.

The incident occurred shortly after Vinicius had curled Real into the lead five minutes into the second half in Lisbon.

Television footage showed the Argentine winger covering his mouth with his shirt before making a comment that Vinicius and nearby teammates interpreted as a racial slur against the 25-year-old, with referee Francois Letexier halting the match for 11 minutes after activating FIFA’s anti-racism protocols.

The footage appeared to show an outraged Mbappe calling Prestianni ‘a bloody racist’ to his face.

The atmosphere grew hostile after play resumed, with Vinicius and Mbappe loudly booed by the home crowd whenever they touched the ball.

“I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard,” Prestianni wrote on his Instagram account.

“I was never racist with anyone and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”

Mbappe told reporters he heard Prestianni direct the same racist remark at Vinicius several times, an allegation also levelled by Real's French midfielder Aurelien Tchouamen.