‘A disgrace to football’: Vinicius Jr reports racist abuse as Real Madrid match halted

Vinicius had an altercation with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni after scoring the only goal of the game, causing the Champions League match to be stopped for 11 minutes, with the forward responding to the incident by saying ‘racists are cowards’ SportFootball‘A disgrace to football’: Vinicius Jr reports racist abuse as Real Madrid match haltedVinicius had an altercation with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni after scoring the only goal of the game, causing the Champions League match to be stopped for 11 minutes, with the forward responding to the incident by saying ‘racists are cowards’ Michael Jones Wednesday 18 February 2026 07:16 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoveropen image in galleryReal Madrid's Vinicius Junior reported racist abuse from a Benfica player (REUTERS)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreVinicius Jr said “racists are cowards” after he was allegedly abused during Real Madrid’s Champions League play-off first leg against Benfica, which was held up for 11 minutes over reported racist remarks.Vinicius had an altercation with Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni after scoring the only goal of the game and told the referee that he had been the subject of racist abuse. The match was then paused following Uefa’s three-step racism protocol. Benfica manager Jose Mourinho was criticised by Amazon Prime pundit Clarence Seedorf after the Benfica boss appeared to suggest Vinicius had provoked the abuse in his post-match interview, while Trent Alexander-Arnold called the incident "a disgrace to football".open image in galleryGianluca Prestianni hides his mouth while arguing with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior (AFP via Getty Images)In a statement on Instagram, Benfica winger Prestianni said he had not directed racist insults at Vinicius, who he said had "regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard".After the game, which resumed and saw Real win 1-0, Vinicius took to Instagram and said: "Racists are, above all, cowards. They need to put their shirts in their mouths to show how weak they are. "But they have the protection of others who, theoretically, have an obligation to punish them. Nothing that happened today is new in my life or in my team's life. RecommendedIgnore Jose Mourinho’s disgraceful response — on Vinicius Jr’s racism allegations, only one thing needs to be saidJose Mourinho believes Vinicius Jr ‘incited’ Benfica players before racism rowReal Madrid earn slim lead over Benfica amid fury over racism incident"I received a yellow card for celebrating a goal. I still don't understand why. On the other hand, it was just a poorly executed protocol that served no purpose. I don't like to appear in situations like this, especially after a big win and when the headlines should be about Real Madrid, but it's necessary." The match was a heated contest following the dramatic encounter between the sides during the league phase of the tournament before Vinicius sent the visitors into the lead with a stunning strike in the second half. The Brazilian forward then celebrated in front of the Benfica fans near the corner flag and was shown a yellow card. As the match was due to restart, he spoke with Prestianni who covered his mouth with his shirt while talking to Vinicius. open image in gallery(AFP via Getty Images)Vinicius then ran over to referee Francois Letexier incensed by the clash with Prestianni and gestured towards the 20-year-old Argentine. The official then crossed his arms to activate Uefa’s racism protocol. Vinicius’ anger continued and he walked off the pitch heading to the Real Madrid dugout where he sat down and was followed by his Real Madrid teammates. Benfica’s manager, Mourinho, attempted to calm matters by talking to Real’s players including Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius himself. open image in galleryJose Mourinho was shown a red card after the match was resumed (Getty Images)The referee officially stopped play due to what is believed to have been a report of an alleged racist comment made towards Vinicius. The match resumed 10 minutes later with a member of the Benfica backroom staff being shown a red card during the break in play as tensions remained high.Following the resumption, objects were thrown at the Madrid players from the stands and each touch of the ball from the visiting side