Gianluca Prestiani has been suspended for six games by UEFA for discriminatory behavior towards Vinicius Junior.
The Real Madrid forward accused Prestiani of racial abuse during a Champions League match in February. A statement from UEFA said the suspension was due to homophobic abuse.
Three of those six games resulted in a two-year suspension, including one game in which Prestianni was provisionally suspended in February.
So, unless the three-game suspension is activated, he will actually only miss two more games.
UEFA appointed an Ethics and Discipline Investigator after the match, which concluded that Prestianni’s actions were not racist but homophobic.
UEFA announced that it has asked FIFA to extend the ban worldwide.
Vinicius Jr. spoke to referee François Letexier and reported the alleged abuse by Prestiani.
In February, it was reported that Prestiani had told UEFA that he had used a homophobic slur rather than a racist one.
Vinicius left the pitch and refused to return even after Prestiani’s comments, resulting in play being suspended for 10 minutes.
The incident could trigger legal changes, with the International Football Association Board (IFAB) set to meet in Canada next week ahead of the FIFA General Assembly to further consider what happens when players cover their mouths to talk to their opponents during face-offs.
Last month, FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Sky News that a red card should have been handed down. “If a player covers his mouth and says something and it has racist consequences, then of course he should be sent off,” he said.
“There must be an inference that he said something he shouldn’t have said, otherwise he wouldn’t have had to cover his mouth.”
