Benfica announced in an official statement that it will appeal against the decision of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) regarding the suspension of player Gianluca Prestiani for one match until the investigation into the case of his insult to Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior is concluded.

The club stated in its announcement: "The club does not understand the reason for depriving the player of participating in the upcoming match while the case is still under investigation."

UEFA had announced in an official statement that the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body today temporarily suspended Prestiani from the next match in UEFA club competitions.

This decision comes due to his initial violation of Article 14 of UEFA's disciplinary regulations related to discriminatory behavior.

The Argentine star had directed racist remarks towards Brazilian star Vinicius during the teams' first-leg playoff match qualifying for the Champions League round of 16.

The player will miss the match against Real Madrid on Wednesday, in the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.