Real Madrid announced, in an official statement issued on Thursday, that it had submitted all necessary documents to the European Football Association regarding the incident of its Brazilian player Vinicius Junior being subjected to a racist attitude.
UEFA opened an investigation after Benfica and Real Madrid faced off in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, which took place at the Al Noor Stadium in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, on Tuesday.
Vinicius, the Argentine player, Gianluca Pristiani, complained to the main referee, Frenchman François Leutixier, after Pristiani uttered racist statements to him.
The referee stopped the match for eight minutes so that he could take the necessary measures in such cases, and informed the rest of his teammates of the intersection signal.
Pristiani appeared heading towards Vinicius after the Brazilian celebrated in front of the Benfica fans by scoring the lead goal, where the two clashed verbally.
The Argentine lifted his shirt to hide his lips when he approached the Real Madrid striker, and the latter rushed seconds later to inform the referee.
The case caused a huge uproar in international football circles, as former stars stood in solidarity with Vinicius, most notably French world champion Thierry Henry, who wondered why Pristiani hid his mouth when talking to Vinicius.
While Pristiani defended himself by saying: “I called him my brother and not what the fans think of me or me.”
Lip-reading experts rushed through social media to re-explain the conversation that took place between the players.
Most of them, like Gustavo Machado and Veloso, agreed that Vinicius told the referee that Pristiani called him a monkey.
Leitura labial do Vini Jr. Denunciando of racist people from Prestianni on the part of Benfica and Real Madrid. pic.twitter.com/5zPL3fJdQx
— VELLOSO (@vellosogg) February 18, 2026
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