The Brazilian Football Confederation: Anyone who directs racist insults must be punished.

Vinicius Junior and Gianluca Prestiani

Brazilian Action After Racist Abuse of Vinicius: Calls for Sanctions

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) sent a letter to its European counterpart, UEFA, and its international counterpart, FIFA, stressing the need to "identify and punish" anyone guilty of directing racist abuse at Vinicius Junior.

The Real Madrid striker reported to referee François Letixser that he was subjected to racist abuse after scoring a goal in the first leg of the Champions League playoff against Benfica in Portugal last Tuesday. Real Madrid later identified Argentine winger Gianluca Prestiani, a player for the home team, as the subject of the complaint.

Prestini denied any racist abuse in a post on his Instagram account, while his club described it as a "smear campaign" against him. The referee activated anti-racism protocols and halted play for 10 minutes, while UEFA launched an investigation into the incident.

Now, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), headed by Samir Zod, is pressuring both the European and global governing bodies to punish those who abused Vinicius. A statement from the CBF, reported by the British news agency PA Media, read: 

"The Brazilian Football Confederation has called on its international and European counterparts to take strict measures to punish those involved in the new case of racism committed against Vinicius Junior."

The CBF emphasized that it expects FIFA to follow up on the case and for UEFA to take all necessary measures to identify and punish the perpetrators of the racist insults. The CBF also thanked FIFA for the public show of solidarity shown by its president, Gianni Infantino.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has sent a formal request to UEFA for a thorough investigation into the actions taken against Vinicius Junior, taking into account the victim's testimony and that of witnesses, "to identify and severely punish those involved in the incident." 

The statement also noted that "the activation of the protocol led to a series of racist abuses by some fans present, who directed racist insults at the Brazilian player and made monkey noises, as reported in European newspapers."

Reports indicate that the UEFA investigation, headed by an ethics and disciplinary investigator, could take up to three weeks to complete. This means that Vinicius and Prestiani could face each other again in the second leg of the Champions League playoff at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium next Wednesday, as the case remains unresolved. 

Benfica coach José Mourinho has been criticized by the anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out for his comments on the incident, with the organization accusing him of "psychological manipulation."

In an interview with Amazon Prime, Mourinho explained: "I told Vinicius, when you score a goal like that, you just have to celebrate and go home. Vinicius and Prestiani both told me different things. But I don't believe either of them. I want to be impartial." Mourinho emphasized that "something always happens" in matches where Vinicius plays.