Lukebakio Breaks Silence on Prestianni-Vinícius Race Row Ahead of Benfica Return Leg
Benfica winger Dodi Lukebakio has spoken out on the Prestianni-Vinícius racism controversy ahead of the Champions League play-off second leg in Madrid.
The Prestianni-Vinícius racism row isn’t going away — and now Benfica’s Dodi Lukebakio has waded in with some careful but pointed thoughts ahead of Tuesday’s crunch second leg at the Bernabéu.
What’s the context?
In case you’ve been living under a rock: the first leg of the Champions League play-off between Benfica and Real Madrid at the Estádio da Luz was overshadowed by allegations that Benfica youngster Nicolás Prestianni directed a racist comment at Vinícius Júnior. UEFA provisionally suspended the Argentine teenager, though — in a rather eyebrow-raising move — he still travelled with the Benfica squad to Madrid for the second leg.
What did Lukebakio actually say?
Speaking to Pickx+Sports, the Belgian winger — who only just returned from nearly three months on the sidelines for that first leg — gave a pretty nuanced take on the whole situation:
- He admitted he’d thought about how he’d react if something like this happened to him, saying it’s something players usually experience from a distance
- He pointed out that nobody actually knows for certain what Prestianni said, raising the possibility it could have been exaggerated
- He even suggested Real Madrid might have had an interest in making the most of the incident
- But — and this is the important bit — he was clear that if the racist abuse is confirmed, he cannot accept it
“If it’s true, I can’t accept it. I’m against injustice” was essentially his bottom line, and fair play to him for being straight about it.
Reading between the lines
Lukebakio’s comments are a bit of a tightrope walk, aren’t they. On one hand, he’s not throwing his teammate under the bus before the investigation is done — which is understandable. On the other, he’s not defending Prestianni either. He’s leaving the door open for doubt while being unambiguous that racism is a red line, full stop.
The dig at Real Madrid — implying the club might have wanted to capitalise on the situation — is the spiciest bit, and you can guarantee that’ll be doing the rounds in Madrid today. Whether there’s any substance to it is another matter entirely.
What happens next?
- The second leg goes ahead in Madrid with both squads in town
- Prestianni, despite his provisional UEFA suspension, made the trip
- The UEFA investigation is ongoing, and the consequences — if the abuse is confirmed — could be severe
It’s a proper mess, and it’s hanging over what should be a brilliant tie. Benfica need a result at the Bernabéu, and all anyone can talk about is this. Funny old game.