Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni punished -
Photo: Pedro Rocha /AP/TT

Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni punished - could miss World Cup matches

Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni has been banned for a total of six European or international matches for his unsportsmanlike conduct in a Champions League match against Real Madrid.

Three of the matches are suspended for a period of two years, UEFA said in a press release.

In reality, he is only facing a two-match suspension because Prestianni did not play in the return leg against Real. At that time, he served a provisional one-match suspension.

If Prestianni is included in Argentina's World Cup squad, he will miss the first two group-stage matches. UEFA will ask FIFA to extend the ban beyond Europe.

The 20-year-old was accused of racist abuse by Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, who claimed Prestianni called him a "monkey".

Prestianni denies the accusation. UEFA instead punished Prestianni on homophobic grounds after interviewing both parties.

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AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers

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