Appeal rejects Benfica’s appeal and Gianluca Prestianni will not play at the Bernabéu

This Wednesday, the UEFA Appeals Committee rejected the appeal filed by the Portuguese SL Benfica so that its Argentine player Gianluca Prestianni could play the match corresponding to the second leg of the Champions League playoffs that the Portuguese play against Real Madrid at 9:00 p.m. at the Santiago Bernabéu.

“The decision of the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee of 23 February 2026 is confirmed. Mr. Gianluca Prestianni remains provisionally suspended for the next UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible,” the body said in a statement.

This measure comes after the decision of the European body’s committee last Monday to provisionally suspend the Argentine for one match for “discriminatory behavior” and after the Real Madrid player Vinícius Jr denounced the referee from last week’s first leg match that he had insulted him in a racist manner.

Benfica, which defends the innocence of its footballer, filed an appeal in the hope of having the Argentine at the Santiago Bernabéu. However, the UEFA Appeals body rejected it and Prestianni, who had traveled to Madrid with the Portuguese expedition for the duel, will not be able to take the field with his teammates to play the match.