“Don’t come to the Santiago Bernabéu,” Kylian Mbappé tells Prestianni ahead of Real Madrid vs Benfica
On the eve of the return leg of the Champions League play-offs, Kylian Mbappé strongly condemned the announced presence of Gianluca Prestianni at the Bernabéu, amid UEFA’s investigation into suspicions of racist insults toward Vinicius Jr.
On the eve of the return match of the Champions League play-offs in Spain, tensions have risen around the Real Madrid–Benfica showdown. Kylian Mbappé has been particularly firm toward the Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni, accused of having uttered racist remarks toward Vinicius Jr. during the first leg in Portugal.
According to the Madrid forward, a player targeted by such accusations . “I think Gianluca Prestianni should not come to the Bernabéu, which is the best stadium in the world. He doesn’t deserve it, he shouldn’t play”, he told TNT Sports.
The events date back to the match played Tuesday night in Lisbon. Vinicius Jr. was reportedly called a ‘monkey’ several times. Mbappé says he himself heard the insult, noting five occurrences of the incriminated term.
On his side, Prestianni categorically denied it on social media, stating that his remarks had been misinterpreted. UEFA quickly reacted by announcing the opening of an investigation. The European body said it had designated an ‘ethics and discipline inspector’ to shed light on this alleged incident.
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