UEFA on Wednesday rejected Benfica’s appeal over the provisional suspension of Gianluca Prestianni, ruling the Argentine winger out of their Champions League tie against Real Madrid.
Prestianni was handed a provisional one-match ban following allegations of racist abuse reported by Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior during last week’s 1-0 defeat in the knockout round play-off first leg.
Read Also: UEFA suspends Benfica striker Prestianni over alleged racist abuse of Vinicius
Benfica indicated they would challenge the decision; the Portuguese club admitted the appeal was unlikely to “have any practical effect” before Wednesday’s return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Further sanctions could still be applied to the 20-year-old depending on the findings.
Prestianni had trained with his Benfica teammates at Real Madrid’s stadium on Tuesday, hopeful the suspension would be overturned in time for him to feature.
However, the Appeals Body dismissed the request, confirming he remains provisionally suspended for Benfica’s Wednesday encounter in Madrid.
The winger has denied racially abusing Vinícius. Nevertheless, UEFA stated there was sufficient evidence to establish a “prima facie” case in relation to the alleged use of discriminatory language, justifying the provisional sanction while disciplinary proceedings continue.
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