Benfica goes on the counter-attack: lodges complaint against Real Madrid star
As UEFA probes allegations of racism against Gianluca Prestianni, Benfica has filed a complaint over an incident involving Fede Valverde.
Benfica has filed a disciplinary complaint with UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, over what the Portuguese club considers an act of aggression by Fede Valverde against Samuel Dahl.
According to a report by Portuguese outlet A Bola, which has been confirmed by AS, Benfica has launched an official protest against an incident in the 83rd minute of Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Real Madrid, when Valverde appeared to swing an arm at Dahl at a moment when neither was challenging for the ball.
AS resident ref says Valverde deserved red
In the opinion of former FIFA official Eduardo Iturralde González, AS’s refereeing analyst, Valverde should have been sent off. “That’s a red card; he throws a punch for no reason,” Iturralde Gonzalez said. “Valverde should have been dismissed, even if it didn’t fully land.” The incident led to no on-field disciplinary action against the Madrid midfielder.
Benfica complaint comes amid Prestianni racism probe
The Valverde-Dahl incident adds yet another layer of controversy to a tie already overshadowed by allegations that Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni racially abused Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior.
Following a confrontation with Prestianni immediately after the Brazilian’s second-half goal for Madrid, Vinícius reported the alleged abuse to referee François Letexier, accusing the Benfica player of calling him a “monkey”. Letexier then triggered the anti‑racism protocol, halting the game for several minutes.
Madrid later submitted evidence to UEFA, which has announced a probe into the incident.
Prestianni has denied racially abusing Vinícius, but the Madrid player’s teammate, Kylian Mbappé, told reporters postgame: “He pulled up his shirt [to cover his mouth] and said ‘Vinícius is a monkey’ five times. I heard it, there are players from Benfica that heard it too.”
When do Benfica and Real Madrid play again?
Following Madrid’s 1-0 win in Tuesday’s first leg at the Estádio Da Luz, Los Blancos are due to host Benfica at the Estadio Bernabéu on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in the return leg of the teams’ knockout-round playoff.
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