Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni has been provisionally suspended by UEFA ahead of Wednesday's game against Real Madrid following accusations of Prestianni directing a slur at forward Vinícius Júnior.
UEFA initially opened an investigation into the situation after Prestianni was accused of directing racist language toward Vinícius Jr. during a match Tuesday. The contest — which Real Madrid won 1-0 — was delayed for 10 minutes following that allegation, as officials instituted UEFA's anti-racism protocol.
The incident occurred following Real Madrid's goal. Words were exchanged, causing Vinícius Jr. to report the incident to officials on the field. Vinícius Jr.'s teammate Kylian Mbappé claimed he heard Prestianni refer to Vinícius Jr. as a "monkey" five times.
Following the incident, Vinícius Jr. released a statement in which he referred to racists as "cowards" who "need to cover their mouths with a shirt to show how weak they are." Prestiannia also released a statement, denying he used racist language during the match.
Prestianni, however, reportedly told UEFA that he used an anti-gay slur during the exchange, per ESPN.
The provisional suspension does not mean UEFA found Prestianni guilty. The organization instead decided it was for the best that Prestianni not play against Real Madrid with UEFA's investigation ongoing. In a statement, UEFA added that it could issue additional punishments once its investigation into the situation is completed, per ESPN.
"This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies. Further information about this matter will be made available in due course."
If Prestianni is found to have used racist language in a game, he would be subject to a 10-game suspension.
In a statement, Benfica said it regretted that a player was suspended while still under investigation. Benfica noted that Prestianni will appeal the provisional suspension, but the team does not expect a decision to be made on that appeal prior to Wednesday's game. The club added that it condemns "all forms of racism or discrimination."
Real Madrid and Benfica will play the second leg of their Champions League knockout phase playoff in Madrid on Wednesday.