"I heard the monkey five times" Mbappe, I'm protecting my colleague Vinicius "They can't say anything to us"... a stroke of racism

*This content was translated by AI.

Kylian Mbappe, 28, has taken a swipe at racism in support of teammate Vinicius Junior, 26.

The British 'Guardian' reported on the 24th (Korea Standard Time) that "Benfica's Gianluca Prestiani was suspended for one game by UEFA due to allegations of racist remarks against Vinicius."

With this preemptive measure, Prestiani will not be able to play in the away game of the second round of the "2025-2026 UEFA Champions League" knockout playoff (PO) against Real in Santiago Bernabeu, Spain, at 5 a.m. on the 26th.

Currently, the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Investigators are continuing to review the case. If the charges are proven to be true, the level of disciplinary action could be increased to a maximum of 10 games.

The controversy came in the first leg of the match at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, on the 18th. In the fifth minute of the second half, Vinicius cut the net with a fantastic right foot shot and then moved toward the corner flag and performed a rather embarrassing dance ceremony.

Soon after, there was a violent altercation between Prestiani and Vinicius, and in the process, racism controversy erupted and the game was delayed by about 10 minutes.

As the controversy grew after the game, Prestiani insisted on his innocence, explaining that he was making "homosexual remarks, not racial discrimination." However, it seems difficult to avoid severe punishment because homosexuality hate speech is also subject to disciplinary action.

"We regret that the player will not be able to play at a time when the investigation is still ongoing, and we will appeal UEFA's disciplinary decision," Benfica said in a statement immediately. "Our club will fight firmly against all forms of racism, which is the historical identity of the club," he said, expressing his opposition to racist acts.

However, Vinicius' teammate Mbappe gave decisive testimony that Prestiani had made racist remarks. According to the Guardian, Mbappe revealed in an interview shortly after the game, "I heard Prestiani spouting the word 'monkey' five times at Vinicius with his mouth covered in his uniform."

Prestiani's excuse became arduous as witnesses testified that specified the details of the behavior and the number of times.

Mbappe also claimed to be Vinicius's supporter outside the ground. "Keep dancing, Vinny," he wrote on his social media (SNS). Please don't stop. They can't tell us what to do or what to do."

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*This content was translated by AI.