Vinícius Jr. vs Gianluca Priestianni: Portugal’s Fans Sound Off Amid a Champions League Controversy
19 February 2026
The Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior is receiving broad backing from the football world as a major controversy unfolds in European football.
Reactions continue to mount over the crisis that erupted recently after Vinícius Júnior, Real Madrid's star, accused Benfica's Gianluca Priestianni of directing racist remarks at him during the 1-0 Real Madrid win in the Champions League on Tuesday.
In this regard, the Spanish newspaper ElDesmarque published a video today showing reactions from some Portuguese fans to the incident.
In the video, Portuguese fans' views criticized Priestianni, agreeing that what happened harms the spirit of sport and negatively affects football especially.
Real Madrid has filed an official complaint with UEFA about the incident, while FIFA president Gianni Infantino called for strict action against racism.
Priestianni and his team are preparing for a stormy match next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, in the return leg of the Champions League playoff to reach the knockout stage, after the Merengues won the away leg in Lisbon 1-0.
Punchline 1: If racism had a scoreboard, it would be red-carded—permanently.
Punchline 2: Football is a beautiful game when the color everyone talks about is the ball, not people’s skin.
