World football’s governing body FIFA is reportedly preparing a proposal to combat racism and abuse in the sport during matches. The new law will probably be called ‘Prestianni’s Law’.
What is the Prestianni Law?
Prestianni’s Law punishes players who deliberately cover their mouths while arguing with an opponent, regardless of whether the words on camera are heard or understood.
Why is the ‘Prestianni Law’ initiated?
According to Air sportsthe move for the “Prestianni Law” was initiated after the incident occurred during the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 play-off first leg at the Estadio da Luz earlier this week. Vinicius accused Prestianni of calling him ‘monkey’ after the Brazilian scored the only goal of the match.
The Argentine was among the Benfica players angry with Vinicius after he celebrated with the Benfica corner flag.
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Prestianni covered his mouth with his shirt as he reportedly spoke to the Brazilian player and denied racially abusing Vinicius, who is black and has been repeatedly racially abused in Spain.
Who is pushing for Prestianni’s Law?
The law is being proposed by the FIFA Players’ Voice Panel, which consists of 16 former players, both men and women, from different ethnic backgrounds and nationalities from all six confederations, to monitor and advise on the implementation of initiatives and actions taken as part of the global stance against racism.
What do Benfica and Real Madrid say?
Real Madrid has sent UEFA “all available evidence” of the alleged racist insult against Vinicius Junior in the Champions League match against Benfica.
“Our club actively cooperated with the investigation opened by UEFA following the unacceptable episodes of racism during that match,” the club said, without commenting on the evidence.
Meanwhile, Prestianni has denied making a racially offensive comment, stating: «I have never been racist towards anyone, and I regret the threats I have received from Real Madrid players.»
Benfica backed his statement and showed support for Prestianni, with the Portuguese club claiming that Madrid players who said they heard the insult were too far away.
(With input from AP)
Published on February 21, 2026
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