Gianluca Prestianni will miss tomorrow night time’s sport with Actual Madrid, to the annoyance of Benfica chief Rui Costa
Benfica president Rui Costa has labelled UEFA’s determination to ban Gianluca Prestianni for tomorrow night time’s conflict with Real Madrid as “unjust”.
UEFA announced yesterday the Argentine was provisionally suspended for one game pending a deeper investigation in to allegations he racially abused Madrid’s Vinicius Jr throughout the first leg of the Champions League play-off final week.
Prestianni has maintained his innocence all through – prompting Benfica to appeal the decision yesterday – and Costa feels the ruling is unfair.
Talking on the airport previous to the flight to Spain for the return sport, the previous Portugal midfielder stated: “We’ve this case within the center [of the game] and we’re unable to make use of Prestianni. We perceive that nothing is confirmed and the absence of the participant on this sport is unjust.
“I’m not on the sphere to know what was stated or not stated. In such a scenario, so much is claimed. What we consider is within the phrase of our participant; greater than that, it’s figuring out the gamers we’ve got. Prestianni is being categorised as racist, however he’s something however racist. I can assure it.
“I communicate every week after the incident and it’s straightforward to elucidate. We knowledgeable our followers of all of the procedures, we defended the participant once we needed to defend him and it didn’t justify the president talking every single day.
“The true sanction hasn’t come out but, there’s a suspension, nevertheless it was no use speaking every single day a couple of subject that’s in course of. We waited for the method.”
Benfica livid that Madrid’s Valverde was not punished for Dahl conflict
Costa additionally highlighted Benfica’s frustration that Madrid’s Federico Valverde had not been sanctioned by UEFA for what they deem to be a punch thrown in the direction of Samuel Dahl throughout a tempestuous first leg in Lisbon.
Benfica escalated the matter to UEFA’s Disciplinary Committee within the hope of retroactive motion being taken however the Uruguay midfielder was cleared and will likely play tomorrow night.
Costa stated: “One factor doesn’t eradicate the opposite and we don’t wish to use the opposite case to annul the Prestianni scenario, however we can’t overlook what occurred within the residence sport. There’s a clear aggression from Valverde, who needs to be out of this sport.”
Benfica’s perception is ‘unshakeable’
Vinicius Jr scored the one objective on the Estadio Da Luz, handing Madrid a doubtlessly very important benefit forward of the return on the Santiago Bernabeu.
However Costa was fast to focus on the actual fact Benfica had overwhelmed Madrid already this season – 4-2 within the last sport of the league part – and says perception within the camp was “unshakable”.
“There isn’t any must level out the diploma of issue that this sport has,” he stated. “Reversing the outcome on the Bernabéu is of a really excessive diploma of issue, however ambition and perception are unshakable.
“We’ve already tasted it this yr. Let’s play this sport with all our weapons, hoping to have the ability to do our job.”
Benfica gained’t have coach Jose Mourinho within the dug out tomorrow. The previous Madrid boss was despatched off final week and can serve a one-game suspension.
