Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and former Manchester City defender Micah Richards have strongly criticised Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni following allegations of racial abuse directed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
The incident reportedly occurred during Real Madrid’s 1 to 0 victory over Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 playoff clash on Tuesday.
Reacting on CBS Sports Golazo, Henry questioned Prestianni’s conduct and challenged him to publicly clarify his remarks.
“Let’s see how big a man Prestianni is, tell us what you said, you must have said something because you can’t go and tell Mbappé after that ‘I didn’t say anything’, what do you mean you didn’t say anything? So you cover your nose because you have a cold?”
Micah Richards, who was also part of the panel, added: “He’s a coward.”
UEFA has since opened an investigation into the matter.
