Gianluca Prestianni banned: UEFA confirms punishment for Benfica player after Vinicius Jr. flashpoint

UEFA has handed Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni a six-match ban for homophobic conduct.

Prestianni's provisional suspension, served during the second leg against Madrid, counts as part of the ban. The final three games of the ban are suspended for two years.

In reality, the verdict means Prestianni will miss Benfica's first two matches in European competition next season.

UEFA cited homophobic abuse, meaning its investigation tallies with the version of events Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni relayed after the match.

”The truth is that it cannot happen," he said. "We’ve been told that the boy called [Vinicius] ‘monkey’ with the shirt covering his mouth. Then [Prestianni] says he didn’t say anything, that he said ‘f****ts’, but it doesn’t matter."

Jesús Álvarez Orehuela

How long are football players banned for racism?

Under UEFA guidelines, Prestianni would have received a minimum 10-game ban from European matches if he had been found guilty of racist abuse.

Prestianni's relatively more lenient punishment leaves UEFA open to accusations that it treats homophobic abuse less seriously than racism.

Will Gianluca Prestianni play at the World Cup?

UEFA has requested that FIFA extends the ban to cover global competitions.

This means it would apply in the event of Prestianni taking part in the World Cup for his native Argentina

However, the 20-year-old has only won one cap for Le Albiceleste and was unlikely to have featured in any case.