The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has provisionally suspended SL Benfica forward Gianluca Prestianni for one UEFA club competition match over alleged discriminatory behaviour.
In a statement on Monday, UEFA disclosed that a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) had been appointed to investigate allegations arising from the UEFA Champions League 2025–26 knockout phase play-offs match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on February 17, 2026.
According to UEFA, following the inspector’s interim report and at the EDI’s request, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) decided to provisionally suspend Prestianni for the next UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible.
The suspension relates to a prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, which addresses discriminatory behaviour.
UEFA noted that the provisional suspension is without prejudice to any final ruling that may be made by its disciplinary bodies after the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and the submission of the inspector’s final report.
Further decisions are expected once the disciplinary process is completed.
