What is the Protocol for On-Field Racist Abuse in Football?

What is the Protocol Behind On-Field Racist Abuse in Football?

If you were keeping up with last night's Champions League action, then you couldn’t have missed the purported racist abuse hurled at Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni.

Look at this video. Prestianni was already calling Vinícius Jr a “m*onkey” long before he even heard it.

That’s why Mbappé said he heard it five times, and reason why he was the first to confront him. pic.twitter.com/ApkVINqoRv

— 10 (@Kylian) February 18, 2026

The abuse came in the wake of a Vini Jr wondergoal in the 50th minute, the type of strike that, normally, fans would be talking about for the rest of the week. However, after some extended celebrations, which included a somewhat erotic dance with the Benfica corner flag, Prestianni was clearly frustrated, and when Vini finally made his way back into the Real Madrid half, the Argentine had some particularly distasteful words for him.

Running to the referee, François Letexier, the Brazilian quickly had the game postponed while officials tried to manage the situation. Vini Jr explained the situation to anyone who would listen, including Benfica manager Jose Mourinho. However, despite the alleged racism being enough to stop the game, it seemed that there was little protocol over what to do next. After 10 minutes or so, in which Vini temporarily refused to continue, the game restarted with seemingly nothing having been done about Prestianni’s comments.

No yellow card, no obvious warning by the referee or officials, nothing. Is there actually a protocol in place for when incidents like this occur? Or are UEFA officials simply making it up on the spot, caught off-guard by such an occurrence?

What’s the Protocol?

There are three official steps to UEFA’s on-field racism protocol, and the first of these steps was seen immediately after Vinicius Jr had informed the ref of Prestianni’s comments towards him.

As soon as the winger reported this to the ref, he turned to the dugout where a host of fellow UEFA officials were gathered and made an X sign with his arms. This gesture is an immediate indication that the match is called off until further notice, giving officials and referees the opportunity to discuss next steps.

The second step is orientated around who is allegedly making racist comments - if derogatory terms are being yelled from the stands by members of the crowd, the official can ask for a stadium announcement to be made, condemning the use of racial slurs and warning that there will be punishment for anyone caught doing so.

However, if the abuse instead comes from a player on the pitch, no stadium announcement will be made, while the officials instead investigate the nature of the incident on the sidelines, with all the players having come off the field of play.

What astonishes me is the fact that by covering his mouth, Prestianni is acknowledging that what he is saying is WRONG.

It's incredibly sad that some professional footballers resort to the lowest tactics possible to affect their opposition's mindset, even when they know that it… https://t.co/F8TCBVGkta

— Football Park (@FP_CentreCircle) February 18, 2026

The third step, which ended up not being enacted last night, allows the referee to abandon the game if incidents of racism continue after the initial postponement. Naturally, Prestianni stopped the stream of racial comments towards Vinicius as soon as the game stopped, meaning that 10 minutes later, after the issue had at least temporarily subsided, the match could continue.

However, the lack of punishment for Prestianni saw jaws drop. For Vinicius Jr to react in the way he did, filled with pure outrage, it was remarkable that when the game resumed, Prestianni was still on the pitch, only leaving thanks to an 83rd-minute substitution, during which he was given a standing ovation by the home fans around the Estadio da Luz.

Why Wasn’t There Punishment?

While Prestianni may have gotten away with what he said on the night, he will now doubtless be subject to an excruciatingly detailed investigation, in which he will almost certainly be found guilty.

But it beggared belief that Vini Jr was eventually happy to take to the pitch with his abuser still on it and playing on the same flank as the Brazilian. Of course, there has always been rivalry between Brazil and Argentina, and there have been countless heated clashes between both nations as well as between representatives of the two countries across numerous domestic leagues.

So it is surprising that after being abused by a player from a country that Brazilians have been brought up to hate since they could walk, Vinicius did not refuse to play until Prestianni was removed from the field of play.

Perhaps the 2024 Ballon d'Or runner-up was given assurances that significant action would be taken after the game, but if I were in the Brazilians’ shoes, I would be having absolutely none of it.

It is also a miracle the game itself was not abandoned, as on the night, it was not just Prestianni who was guilty of hurling racist abuse at the opposition. Former Man United star and ex-TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand took to social media to post a video of a few Benfica fans making monkey gestures towards the Real Madrid side.

🤬😤🤦🏽‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/yygny2IOVz

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) February 18, 2026

Ironically, the supporters were making these racially driven gestures right in front of their own Black player, Leandro Barreiro - whether he noticed it or not is by the by, as he has no doubt come across the video on his own social media platforms subsequently. The question is, what will he be thinking about both his own fans and teammates right now?

The referee was clearly not informed of these fans' actions, as no stadium announcement was made, and there is no further evidence of racism amongst the fans that happened during the game.

But the fact that both Benfica players and fans were intentionally racist towards their Spanish opponents just illustrates the progress the game still needs to make if anti-racism initiatives are to be taken seriously.

Anyone caught indulging in racist abuse should be immediately removed from the stadium, be it a fan or a player, and regardless of whether a player did in fact make racist comments, it is safer for all parties involved if they are removed anyway, as their alleged racism only provides a platform for others around the ground to follow their lead.

UEFA needs to work on an actual solid protocol that players and fans are fearful of messing with. Fines, a criminal record, a ban, anything that could deter it, because it is a stain on the beautiful game, which, when events like this occur, becomes markedly less beautiful.