FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also spoken about the incident between Benfica and Real Madrid players Gianluca Prestianni and Vinícius Jr, when the Benfica player allegedly called Vinícius "monkey" five times.
"I was shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism towards Vinícius Júnior in the UEFA Champions League match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF. There is absolutely no room for racism in our sport and in society - we need all the relevant stakeholders to take action and hold those responsible to account."
Infantino's words caused a bit of a stir, as UEFA had only announced around an hour earlier that they would launch an investigation to determine if Prestianni really used racist slur against Vinícius, something that the club and player deny. In any case, it will be almost impossible to prove, as Prestianni covered his mouth and it will be one man's word against the other, as pundits Thierry Henry and Micah Richards lamented. Prestianni risks a ten-match sanction.
"At FIFA, through the Global Stand Against Racism and the Players' Voice Panel, we are committed to ensuring that players, officials and fans are respected and protected, and that appropriate action is taken when incidents occur", continued Infantino. "I commend referee François Letexier for activating the anti-racism protocol by using the arm gesture to stop the game and address the situation.
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FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. I will always continue to reiterate: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!"