A Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid had to be called to an end shortly after the second half following yet another incident of racist abuse against Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior. The abuse is alleged to have come from Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni who was seen covering his mouth to deliver the offending racist remarks.
Denials after the game from Benfica’s coach Jose Mourinho compounded the harm caused by the racism on clear display, with many coming out to show solidarity with the Real Madrid forward. UEFA have since announced that an investigation will be launched into ‘allegations of discriminatory behaviour’.
The latest to add their voice to this long-overdue discussion is sports broadcaster Kate Scott who declared racists ‘don’t belong’ in football.
Kate Scott has absolutely nailed it. Every word is spot on.pic.twitter.com/UDhxl9Eazz
— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) February 18, 2026
Vinícius Júnior constantly racially abused
Vinícius Júnior has received an onslaught abuse in football, regularly finding himself on the receiving end of racial abuse. The Canary reported yesterday:
The match had just gone into the second half, with Real Madrid dominating the game. Vinícius Júnior scored in the 50th minute. Like many footballers do, he celebrated his goal at the corner flag which took his team into the lead. This resulted in a yellow card for the player.
Apparently, his dance of celebration was even enough to rile up Prestianni who proceeded to throw a racial slur at the Real Madrid forward. This isn’t the first time racism has shown up in football. Particularly targeted at Vinícius Júnior who the Independent say has ‘evidently’ become a:
“lightning rod for the kind of people who would racially abuse an individual, who want to goad him in the worst way possible.”
Kate Scott is a sports broadcaster from Manchester best known for her football coverage on CBS. She has been outspoken in her support of Vinícius Júnior amid ongoing issues of racism in football.
During her recent segment, Scott strongly condemned racist abuse directed at players, making it clear that racism should have “zero involvement whatsoever” in the sport. Her comments make clear that broadcasters, players, and governing bodies are calling out racism directly rather than brushing it aside.
Bigots have repeatedly subjected Vinícius Júnior to racist abuse while he played in Spain. As a result, he has become a central figure in the fight against racism in football.
‘Same old racist problems’
In the clip above, Scott reminded us that this is not a new issue as she stated:
Well, I guess today is a new day in football, but with the same old racist problems. And whilst we do want to focus on the games ahead today, because the game is what we love, yesterday does still linger.
And whether or not you like Vinnie Junior, that shouldn’t shape your opinion on this incident. And which team you support, it shouldn’t affect which side of the story that you fall on.
This isn’t Real Madrid versus Benfica, it is right versus wrong. Vinnie Jr. and Kylian Mbappe said that there was repeated racial abuse. Gianluca Prestianni said they misheard.
Plenty have tried to deny the abuse occurred, with Benfica doubling down sharing videos trying to suggest it was impossible for Prestianni to even be heard:
But he covered his mouth to hide what he said from the cameras. And hopefully we can all agree that if what you’re saying on a football pitch is shameful enough to have to hide it from the public, then you’re wrong. In any case, racial abuse is not new in this game, that’s for sure. In decades gone by, Cyril Regis, Howard Gale, Viv Anderson and John Barnes, to name just a few who played in this country, dealt with continued and horrific racial abuse to pave a path for players of Vinnie’s generation to play and celebrate without shackles.
Scott then astutely pointed out the lack of progress for the wellbeing and safety of Black and Brown players:
Except in 2026, that still doesn’t always apply. They are still expected, as Vinny Jr. was last night, to rise above it, to answer by performance, to shut up and play. Jose Mourinho is an iconic figure in world football. Yesterday, he switched the focus from what had actually been said to whether there was provocation for it. He essentially told us that Vinny Jr. was asking for it. That is a damaging narrative from a man who is considered a leading figure in the global game.
Football governance struggles globally with racial diversity at its top executive levels, as do UEFA. But we do hope that the lack of black voices in the room will not mean that black players continue to go unprotected. Investigation and due process will have to occur. But whatever the results of that in this case, we hope that football becomes a better platform where hatred is met with more than nominal fines and partial stadium closures, where diversity is truly celebrated, not just tolerated or abused with shirts over mouths.
The racial diversity on a football pitch in the Champions League is the representation of the global love for this game and the global belonging in this game. This is the very spirit of football.
Scott finished with a polite ‘fuck you’ to racists:
And if you don’t agree, then respectfully, you are the one who doesn’t belong.
Thierry Henry: ‘Let’s see how big of a man Prestianni is’
Thierry Henry, who sat alongside Scott on the segment, offered his experience as a Black footballer:
I can relate to what Vinicius is going through.
That happened to me so many times on the pitch. I talked about it so many times after games. I’ve also been accused of looking for excuses after games when that happened to me. At times, you feel lonely, because it’s going to be your word against his word.
Touching on the cowardice inherent in racism, Henry added:
We don’t know what Prestianni has said, because he was very courageous by putting his shirt over his mouth to make sure that we weren’t going to see what he said, so clearly, already, you look suspicious.
Henry also issued a moral challenge to Prestianni:
Let’s see how big of a man Prestianni is, tell us what you said. You must have said something, because you can’t go to Mbappe and say, ‘I didn’t say anything’. What do you mean, you covered your nose for what, you have a cold?
Henry joined Scott in referring to those who came before them and who fought so courageously for equality in football:
People did fight, way before my time, for us to be able to perform and to entertain people
And to still be in 2026 dealing with the same thing, it’s tiring. Obviously, I can relate, not only I can relate by the colour of my skin, I can relate because I’ve been there. I’ve been lonely.
Courageous leaders in football
This incident against Vinícius Júnior is deplorable, there can be no doubt on that. The very fact it has become so fatiguing for Black and Brown players speaks to how often racial abuse occurs.
The courage shown since this incident by those in the sport with a platform is invaluable in promoting equality. Nevertheless, Black and Brown players and pundits should not stand alone in this, left continually to fight this uphill battle alone.
Featured image via the Canary
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