The Prestianni suspension will stand after UEFA rejected Benfica’s appeal ahead of their crucial Champions League clash with Real Madrid. The Argentine winger will miss the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu following allegations made during the first leg in Lisbon.
The decision deals a blow to Benfica, who trail 1 to 0 on aggregate.
Prestianni was suspended
UEFA issued a provisional one-match ban to Prestianni after Vinicius Jr claimed that he used discriminatory language in the Lisbon match.
According to the governing body, there were enough preliminary evidences for a prima-facie case. The officials were able to temporarily suspend the case while they conducted a thorough investigation.
Benfica’s Appeal is Rejected
UEFA’s Appeals Body examined Benfica’s request, but rejected it. Prestianni is therefore suspended from the next European match.
In the hope that the ruling would be changed, he trained at the Real Madrid stadium with his squad on Tuesday. The decision was not changed.
The suspension is only temporary. The UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspection will complete a thorough review.
Benfica: What this means
Prestianni could have played while the investigation continued if UEFA hadn’t imposed the temporary ban. Benfica will have to prepare.
Portuguese team is under even greater pressure as they trail Real Madrid 1 to 0 in the aggregate.
