– Spanish journalist Manolo Lama sparked widespread controversy with his comments on the alleged racist abuse directed at Vinicius Junior during the Champions League match between Real Madrid and Benfica.
Lama asserted that the European Union may take a strict decision against Gianluca Prestiani if it is convinced that the incident occurred, citing a precedent in which a player was suspended for ten matches despite the absence of direct audio evidence. However, he warned of the danger of issuing a penalty without clear evidence, considering that this could open “Pandora’s box” in football and create a complex precedent for the future.
He also stressed that provocation on the pitch does not justify any racist abuse, explaining that even if Vinicius made some mistakes in his behaviour, any racist abuse must be punished decisively.
