FIFA Slams Benfica Winger Prestianni With Global Ban

FIFA has extended Gianluca Prestianni’s ban for homophobic conduct globally, meaning he could now miss Argentina’s first two games at the 2026 World Cup.

The Benfica winger, who was sanctioned following a high-profile clash with Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, will now see his club-level suspension apply to international competitive fixtures.

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has confirmed it will uphold UEFA’s request to apply Prestianni’s current suspension across all jurisdictions of the game. On Wednesday, a FIFA statement said, “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the six-match ban imposed by UEFA on SL Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni to have worldwide effect.”

The fallout from this decision is significant for both club and country. While the six-match suspension was originally restricted to UEFA-organised competitions, the global extension means the 20-year-old is now ineligible for selection in competitive FIFA games, including the upcoming World Cup in North America.

Should Prestianni be named in Lionel Scaloni’s final Argentina squad for the 2026 World Cup, he would be forced to sit out the group stage openers against Algeria and Austria.

The winger was called up by the world champions in the March squad for friendlies against Mauritania and Zambia after gaining his senior debut in November 2025.

While the headline figure is indeed six games, three are subject to a two-year probationary period. Having already missed a Champions League second-leg tie against Real Madrid while under a provisional suspension, the player still has two active games left to serve.

He remains eligible for Argentina’s pre-World Cup friendly against Honduras, as the “worldwide effect” specifically targets competitive fixtures, while the suspension does not apply to his remaining domestic games with Benfica this season.

The controversy stems from an incident on February 17 during a Champions League knockout stage play-off first leg clash at the Estadio da Luz. Real Madrid’s Vinicius alleged he was the victim of racial abuse from the Argentine, leading referee Francois Letexier to halt the game for eight minutes and trigger FIFA’s anti-discrimination protocol.

Prestianni has consistently denied the allegations of racism, releasing a statement that read: “I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insults to Vini Jr, who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard. I was never racist with anyone, and I regret the threats I received from Real Madrid players.”

Despite his defence, UEFA’s investigation resulted in a sanction for “discriminatory (i.e. homophobic) conduct”.