A plastic bottle filled with water is thrown from the stands toward Real Madrid's Vinícius JúniorReal Madrid’s Champions League play-off first leg against Benfica was held up for 10 minutes over a racist comment made towards winger Vinicius Jr. Vinicius Jr then ran over to referee Francois Letexier and was incensed by the clash with Prestianni and gestured towards the 20-year-old Argentine. His anger continued and he walked off the pitch heading to the Real Madrid dugout where he sat down and was followed by his Real Madrid teammates. Uefa have a three-step racism protocol in place giving referees the power to halt matches and Letexier initiated step one. They will then request an announcement to be made over the public address system asking spectators to immediately stop any racist behaviour.

Source: Irish Independent February 17, 2026 22:46 UTC