According to UEFA, the six-game ban for Gianluca Prestianni is due to "discriminatory conduct" during the match against Real Madrid.
The organisation’s statement specifies that the issue concerns "homophobic insults" made by Prestianni, who reportedly called Vinicius Junior a "maricón" - a homophobic slur in Spanish.
The suspension imposed by UEFA must be served in European competitions or with the Argentine national team.
"The suspension for three of these games is subject to a two-year probation period, starting from the date of this decision," UEFA further explained, adding that one match of the ban has already been served, specifically in the second leg of the play-off between Benfica and Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
On February 17th, in the first leg of the Champions League play-off for a place in the round of 16, which Real Madrid won 1-0, Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, after scoring the only goal of the match, approached the referee and accused Prestianni of making racist remarks towards him.
French referee Francois Letexier stopped the match, played at Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, and activated the anti-racism protocol, with play resuming nearly 10 minutes later.
After the game, Prestianni denied making any racist insults towards Vinicius, while the Brazilian international and other Real Madrid players confirmed the offence by the Argentine.
UEFA provisionally suspended Prestianni for one match while the investigation was ongoing, and although he was unable to play, the Argentine travelled with the team to Madrid the following week, where Benfica lost 2-1 and were eliminated from the Champions League.
Since Benfica have already been knocked out of European competitions, Prestianni will serve the remaining two matches of his suspension with the Argentina national team, should he be called up for the 2026 World Cup.
Benfica issued the following statement: "Benfica announce that they have been notified by UEFA of the sanction imposed on player Prestianni for the use of homophobic language during the Benfica-Real Madrid match.
"Prestianni has been suspended for six matches, with three of those suspended for a period of two years. Of the three matches he must serve, one has already been completed, and the remaining two must be served in UEFA matches or with the Argentina national team in FIFA competitions."