Gianluca Prestianni’s World Cup dreams suffer major blow after FIFA extends ban
· Yahoo Sports
Back in February, during a UEFA Champions League playoff opener between Benfica and Real Madrid, Argentine winger Gianluca Prestianni directed a comment at Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinicius Jr. shortly after he’d celebrated what proved the game’s sole goal.
Covering his mouth in the process, the Benfica player’s comments immediately prompted Vinicius Jr. to make the referee aware of what he claimed were racist comments made by the Argentina international.
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Prestianni wound up being banned for the second leg, with Benfica losing 3-1 on aggregate and dropping out of the competition.
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A subsequent UEFA investigation ultimately slapped Prestianni with a six-game ban in April for the use of what was eventually deemed homophobic language used towards Vinicius Jr.
Having already missed one game, Prestianni was told he would have to miss two further games, while the three additional games were suspended for two years.
Meanwhile, UEFA requested that FIFA extend Prestianni’s ban beyond its boundaries to include games under its jurisdiction- which has now been approved, as per ESPN.
In a statement, the global governing body of soccer explained, “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to extend the six-match ban imposed by UEFA on Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni to have worldwide effect.”
As such, should Lionel Scaloni select Prestianni as part of his 26-player roster for this summer’s World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, Prestianni would have to sit out the first two games.
Drawn into Group J, the reigning champions are set to kick off their tournament on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, against Algeria. Their second game is set to take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, six days later against Austria.
The first game he would be eligible to participate in would be Argentina’s final group stage game against Jordan on June 27 at AT&T Stadium.
Should Scaloni opt not to select Prestianni this summer, his ban would have to be served when Benfica next participates in a UEFA competition - which, as things currently stand in the Primeira Liga, will be the 2026/2027 Champions League.
All of this comes shortly after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) unanimously approved a new ruling that if a player is seen covering their mouth whilst confronting an opponent, they can be given a straight red card.
This particular meeting also saw IFAB pass a rule which dictates that should players leave the field in protest of an officiating decision, they too can be sent off immediately. What’s more, this also applies to head coaches attempting to coerce their players into leaving the game.
Prestianni has appeared once for the Argentina national team -Credit:Luis Cano/Jam Media/Getty ImagesThis comes after some Senegalese players left the Africa Cup of Nations Final against Morocco after their opponents were awarded a late penalty. Senegal would go on to win the game in extra time, before the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) overturned the result and deemed Morocco the winners in March, as a result of an appeal based on the players leaving the game.
But this is far from the end of the debacle, with the CAF’s ruling now heading to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after an appeal from the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football.